In Zanarkand
by Clifton G. McJames
Summary: Based very strongly on the video game; its kind of the story of the game, with a few differences I made. THIS CONTAINS SPOLIERS! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~  
  
The sun rose over the silent hills of the fallen city. Not far away from theses rays, a strange sight could be seen; a seemingly 'liquid' sword in the ground next to an elegantly carved staff. Further on, a gaggle of strange looking people were gathered around a fire, most looking grim and oppressed. They obviously had something on their minds of great importance, but none seemed eager to discuss it. Suddenly, one of them, dressed in what was possibly the most normal way (by our standards), stood, as if he could no longer stand staying there. He briefly rested his hand on the shoulder of the young woman next to him, before he took to the small hill they sat next to. He gazed out across the city, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. As he stood, he fought off tears, and decided that now would be the best time to share what had happened.  
"Listen to my story," he said, mostly to himself, though he caught the attention of the six individuals below him. "This may be our last chance."  
  
It was a hot summer's day in Chicago, Illinois. Thousands of people were out and about, walking home from work or school, and glad that it was Friday. Above the massive sea of people, the L-Train snaked its way through the sky on its elevated rails. On the train, sitting contently and quietly was Zachary "Tidus" Scott, heading home after a long day at school. He sat, looking out the window, clad in long, blue jean shorts, a white t- shirt with a joke of some sort on the chest, white sneakers, and a large, bulging backpack. His blond hair, which was combed back out of his face, gave him the appearance of a capable 17-year-old, with sinewy muscles, and an aptitude for sports.  
The train stopped, and Tidus stepped off of the train. From here, it only a short walk to his apartment complex. He had his mind on the events that would take place later that evening, though it had nothing to do with the huge backpack he hauled. He was concentrating on a game, a championship game that his team could win.  
He entered his ground floor, walked to the elevator, and arrived at his door. He unlocked his rather large apartment, which housed a lot of basketball memorabilia. Tidus' father had been a professional player, a member of the Bulls. It was hard to miss a game when Jecht Scott took center court. But Jecht was never too concerned with things that went on at home; in fact, he was more like a bully than he was a father. And one day, Jecht simply vanished.  
The world was shocked. The MVP was missing! Tidus didn't mind much, though. He had been waiting for that day for so long. And then. His mother died. Left alone, Tidus, now age 10, had no idea what he was going to do.  
But then, he arrived.  
The strange man had arrived looking for Tidus at school, saying that he was 'Tidus' appointed guardian'. And that was when Tidus met his mentor: Auron.  
Auron had always been there for him after that. He never did live with Tidus, but kept watch from afar. Tidus' inheritance kept him floating, and now, here he was. Not that he was totally independent; Auron still made house calls daily.  
As Tidus crossed out of the spacious living room and into the kitchen, the front door opened again, and in stepped Auron.  
If you thought fashion was out of whack already, you should've seen Auron. He was clad in a red trench coat, with a blue line running down on either side of the collar, until it reached the bottom. He wore a black armor plate under that, and a strange neckpiece. His sunglasses were worn like spectacles, and were not hiding the fact that he had a large scar running through his right eye. On his left shoulder, he wore a gold and bronze armor plate, but he didn't have his left arm in the sleeve. Instead, he held it under his coat, like it was in a sling, even though it wasn't. His right am was in the sleeve, and was kept there by a black glove that held the sleeve in its position. His coat was kept shut by two leather belts wrapped in bright blue-and-green cloth. His gray pants were tucked into black boots, and gray-and-white-and-black hair gave him the wise old man appearance. He also had the 'don't mess with me' air about him.  
"Hello?" Tidus called from the kitchen as Auron took a seat in the living room. He remained silent, his left eye sweeping over the apartment. Tidus emerged from the kitchen, saw Auron, and sighed.  
"Why can't you knock and say 'hi' once and a while?" Tidus complained.  
"How are you today?" Auron asked in a deep voice.  
Tidus shrugged. "Good enough. Hey, Auron, you know what tonight is?!"  
Auron looked up at the excited young man before him. "No."  
"It's the championship game! The Abes versus the Dougals! It's at the upstairs gym at the school-you should come and see it."  
Auron stood. "I would like to," he said, "but I have several things to see to tonight."  
"Auron," Tidus whined, but Auron turned and started to walk out. As he left, he said, "Good-bye. And good luck."  
  
The high school was packed with people. The school team was playing, and there were a few people in the stands watching. Most of them had made their way to the upstairs gym, where the unofficial league prepared to play it out for the championship. The lights hadn't come on yet, but when Tidus gave his friend Mike the nod, Mike threw on the lights, much to the crowd's approval. Mike had already thrown on a CD, a favorite called 'Otherworld'. Team intros came, and when Tidus stepped up, the crowd went nuts.  
  
Further away, at the famous Sears Tower, many people on the observation deck were pointing at this mass that seemed to be rising out of the earth itself. Pointing and screaming, no one noticed Auron, who was out on a ledge, toasting the giant mass with a liquor bottle, like it was an old friend.  
  
Back at the game, Tidus' team, the Abes, had taken an early lead. The teams ran up and down the court, shooting, missing, scoring, and, occasionally, fighting. That was the case right now, as a member of Tidus' team was currently in a shoving match with a Dougal. Tidus, being one who wanted to play basketball instead of wrestling, rushed forward and tackled the Dougal to the ground. "Now play!" he yelled, and took off down the court, much to the approval of the screaming fans.  
  
If the gym was loud, it was nothing to what Auron was now hearing. As he made his way down the two-lane bridge, motorists had stopped and climbed out of their cars, pointing at the mass in the sky, which more or less looked like a big orb of water floating in midair. As he made his way through the masses, five girls hysterically ran past him. Upon turning to look at the mass, and spotting Auron, one of them ignored his clothes and called, "What is that thing?!"  
Auron brushed them aside and silently continued on his way. As he did so, he stepped in a puddle of water, and when the droplets went into the air, they refused to come back down.  
  
Tidus had the ball. He came tearing down the court, faked a lay up, and passed the ball to Cody, a teammate. Cody easily put the ball in from the three-point line.  
  
Outside, Auron had reached Tidus' school. Above his head, the mass suddenly shivered.  
  
Tidus once again had the ball, running all over to try to get it in the hoop. He again pulled off a clean pass, and the Abes got the point.  
  
The shivering mass suddenly shot from its center what looked like missiles surrounded in fire.  
  
Back at the school, it was lucky that the Abes managed to steal the ball, because that side of the gym exploded.  
"What the Hell!" Tidus screamed. Tidus and the rest of the people up in the gym ran down the access stairs, but not quickly enough. Another explosion not only threw Tidus out of the school, but also demolished it in the same go, and Tidus, landing hard on the front stairs, fell unconscious.  
  
Tidus woke up to the sounds of screaming people. Standing up, he looked around, and out of the corner of his eye, saw something red billowing in the breeze.  
"Auron!" Tidus yelled out.  
The person didn't respond. It must be Auron, Tidus thought. Running over to him, he discovered Auron was leaning up against a large piece of debris. "What are you doing here?" Tidus asked.  
"I was waiting for you," Auron responded, not looking at Tidus. As he said this, he left his current place, and headed into the city.  
"What are you talking about?" Tidus yelled after him. Auron chose not to reply, forcing Tidus to chase after him. Auron swiftly walked up an exit ramp to the same two-lane bridge he had been at before. While he managed to get through effortlessly, Tidus had trouble pushing his way through. Finally, he got to the top of the ramp, but, having lost Auron, had no idea what to do next.  
Then, quite suddenly, everything got quiet.  
Tidus looked around, and spotted a person standing behind him. It was a young boy, not older than ten, in a purple sleeve-less shirt with a green hood. He wore black shorts and no shoes. On the back of his shirt, a pattern was etched in gold, looking like two golden circles, one inside of the other, connected by elongated "S"s. Tidus, seeing this boy, breathed a sigh of relief. He started to step forward, when he realized he was the only person moving. That is, except for the boy.  
"It begins," The young boy said.  
"Huh?" Tidus asked.  
"Don't cry."  
Tidus looked at the boy, but before he could get close, everything started again, and the boy disappeared. Tidus looked up, and by dumb luck, spotted Auron, still a distance away. "Hey! Wait!" Tidus called.  
Tidus sprinted the length to Auron, and, leaning over on his knees, panted, "Not this way."  
Auron ignored him. "Look!"  
Tidus looked up in the sky. The sight of the floating mass made him back away in fear. Auron spoke again.  
"We called it 'Sin'."  
Tidus looked slowly at Auron. "Sin?"  
Auron nodded. Suddenly, to their left, a building exploded. Out of the building came a tentacle-laden creature that retreated further up the bridge. However, it left a trail of pods in its wake, which sprouted into four-legged, winged bugs. Three of them charged Tidus, who started to swing his arms and try to ward them off. He attempted to kick one, but it rushed forward suddenly, and, startled, he fell over. Auron was swiftly there, holding something over Tidus.  
"Take it," he said. Tidus then realized: It's a sword.  
Taking the handle, Auron pulled Tidus up to his feet. Tidus was suddenly surprised at how heavy the sword was. Auron spoke:  
"A gift from Jecht," he said.  
"My old man?" Tidus asked.  
Tidus took the sword and began to try his 'go away' swings again, only to fall over-again. Auron, having produced his own sword, which was now hoisted on his right shoulder, rolled his eye. "I hope you know how to use it," He said dryly. "Yeah," Tidus agreed.  
The two turned to face their adversaries. Auron was ready.  
"These ones don't matter," He called to Tidus. "We cut through!"  
He rushed forward, and freeing his left arm from its sling-like position, brought his left hand up to grasp the handle, and, pivoting his upper body downwards, brought the incredibly long sword down like an axe on one of the bugs. The bug, in response, fell in two pieces.  
Tidus, getting the idea, looked at his sword and the nearest bug. Getting a running start, Tidus ran at the bug, lightly jumped, and used his momentum to bring his sword down on the bug's head. He advanced to meet up with Auron, who had found himself almost completely surrounded.  
"Don't bother going after all of them," Auron told Tidus. "Cut the ones that matter, and run."  
Rushing forward, the two managed to slice their way further up the bridge. Upon getting into a brief clear zone, they spotted the tentacle monster blocking their path.  
Auron stepped forward to survey the scene. He noticed a car hanging on the edge of the bridge, almost ready to go over. "Hmm. This could be bad," He said, looking to the beast.  
"Ya think?" Tidus retorted.  
"That-knock it down!" Auron said, indicating the car.  
"What?!"  
"Trust me. You'll see." With those words, Auron charged at the car, swinging his gigantic blade across the hood. The car slid, just a bit, more over the edge. Tidus, catching on, soon ran over to help, and their combined efforts knocked the car over, down off the bridge. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!  
The resounding blast blew the creature sky high, not to mention severed the bridge. The other half, the one Auron wanted to get to, started floating up into Sin. Auron nodded to Tidus.  
"Go."  
The two took the jump at a run, and.  
"Uhh! Ahh!" Tidus groaned with effort not to fall. Auron had made it, but Tidus was hanging by his fingers. Suddenly, Auron appeared over the edge, looking down.  
"Auron!" Tidus yelled. The bridge jerked; its last post had been ripped out of the ground and the whole thing was floating into the sky. "Auron!" Tidus yelled desperately.  
Auron looked over his shoulder, at the floating mass. "You are sure?" he asked it. Meanwhile, Tidus had managed to climb up onto the bridge. Auron turned, and before Tidus could get to his feet, Auron grabbed him by the collar, and spoke.  
"This is it. This-is your story."  
By now, the two were engulfed in a bright light. Auron continued.  
"It all begins here."  
Suddenly, he was stretched like a noodle and pulled into Sin completely. Tidus, trying to fight it, couldn't escape. He, too, was pulled into Sin. 


	2. Chapter 2

OK. This is my one and only disclaimer that will appear in the whole story. So, without further ado: I don not own Final Fantasy X, the characters, or places depicted in this book. This is a work of fiction based upon the game "Final Fantasy X" by Squaresoft Games Co.  
-CGM  
  
~Chapter 2~  
  
When Tidus awoke, he was freezing cold. Of course, that might've been because he was lying in the middle of ice-cold water. He was half washed up on a rock, one of many in this strange place. A single bird was perched on the same rock, and as Tidus looked around, it was the only company he had.  
"Anybody there?" he called.  
Nothing.  
"Auron!" Tidus yelled.  
Still, no reply.  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" Tidus yelled into the air, scaring the bird away. Watching it, he saw it fly to a building that was not far away. He began to swim towards the structure, which appeared to be some kind of ancient ruins. He found a low ledge where he could hoist himself up onto dryer land. Looking all about, he apprehensively walked on.  
Shivering and shaking, Tidus found himself in a precarious situation. Continuing to look around for Auron, Tidus ventured on. It occurred to him that he had lost his sword, and without it, in this strange place, he felt like a sitting duck.  
Cold stone met his wet sneakers with every step. As he walked, he observed that this place had probably been abandoned for quite some time. Deciding that it would probably be warmer inside the building, he began to search for an entrance.  
A short time later, Tidus made his way down a narrow and crumbling hallway that eventually emerged into what was once a beautiful palace. 1,000 years had passed since anyone had been there, and the wear and tear showed, in the form of holes in the high ceiling, crumbled stone on the floor, and peeling paint.  
As Tidus walked to the center of the round room, he discovered it was colder inside. As he shivered in his T-shirt and shorts, he looked around for a source of warmth. Not finding one, he managed to mutter, "Need. Fire."  
As he continued to the center, he spied what looked like the remains of a recently burned fire. "Fire. Hello!" Tidus called. If there was a recent fire, perhaps the people who lit it were still here.  
"Hello? Is anyone there?"  
There came no response, and Tidus was certain that he was truly alone. Determined to start the fire again, Tidus picked up two of the charred sticks, and started rubbing them together.  
It was a no-go. Tidus needed to find something flammable, and he needed to find it quickly, or he would probably freeze to death. Spotting a doorway he had not seen when he came in, Tidus ran over and opened up the doorway to a crumbling staircase. Putting himself at great personal risk, Tidus braved the stairs, carefully avoiding the debris that had fallen from the ceiling. Finally arriving at the top, Tidus looked for something, anything that might catch on fire.  
Not finding anything, Tidus stepped through the small hallway to his left and emerged on a balcony that overlooked the main room of the crumbling temple. He trekked to the end of this circular outcropping, until his eye caught something that looked like.  
It was dry leaves, lying there in plain view. Tidus mentally kicked himself for not seeing it right away. Grabbing the leaves, he traveled back into the main room, and laying the leaves on the charred wood, started the stick-rubbing again, until finally, the leaves caught, and after that, the wood ignited into flame.  
Tidus looked around the illuminated chamber and sat next to the fire, taking in its warmth. Letting the heat wash over him, he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked. He was back in his apartment in Chicago. Someone was standing in the doorway.  
"It was a bad call," Auron's voice responded. "Your team lost because of you."  
"You came to say that?!" Tidus asked, as Auron's image slowly swam into view. He brushed past Tidus into the living room. "It's been. Ten years, hasn't it?"  
Tidus knew what he was talking about. "So?" he asked uneasily.  
"I thought you'd be crying," Auron said, disappearing into the kitchen.  
"Who, ME?" Tidus called.  
And suddenly, the same young boy that had stopped time was standing in front of him, the same boy who had said it had begun.  
"You cried," he said.  
  
Tidus was once again feeling cold. His eyes opened, and he saw that the fire was quickly dying. "No. Wait! Don't go out on me!" he yelled at it. "Hold on, I'll find more wood!"  
Tidus stood to look for more fire wood, when he realized he was being watched. He looked up, and saw a hideous, long and spindly looking thing perched on the balcony he had been on previously. It watched him through blood red bug eyes, and flexed its 10-inch-long claws. It began to bunch its hindquarters up, and it leaped off of the balcony, and right towards Tidus.  
But basketball had gifted Tidus with lightning fast reflexes, and he moved out of the way. Running out of the chamber, he dived back into the water, looking desperately for his sword. As he swam, he noticed the creature was prowling the edge of the temple ground, not daring to go into the water.  
As he swam, he kept a constant eye out for his sword, and by dumb luck, managed to find it wedged into some rocks.  
After he cautiously reentered the temple, he found the creature lying dead on the floor. Uneasily looking around, Tidus brought his sword up into a ready position, when he was clocked from behind.  
As he fell, people. Strange people. Started emerging from behind the rocks. One of them grabbed Tidus from behind, and held him by the hair, with a knife to his throat.  
"Nu fellad bic cono, qui?" he spoke in a deep voice.  
"Faid!" a girl's voice responded. She stepped out and spoke to the man holding Tidus. "Fuy vonna no tilla!"  
"Nu chine! Auda yoove onna fetok!" he yelled back at her.  
"Faid!" she said with more desperation in her voice. She approached Tidus, and leaned over to whisper in his right ear.  
"Cunno," she said.  
Tidus soon fell unconscious, due to the fact that the girl punched him hard in the kidney. As he fell to the floor, the people left, but as they did, they took him with them. 


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~  
  
It was nighttime now, and the sea was calm. The strange looking ship that was traveling on looked like something out of a science fiction novel. Its oddly shaped hull was like a half-circle in the water, all steely gray in color. Tidus was slowly regaining consciousness, lying on his side, facing the left side of the ship. In front of him stood two of the oddly clothed people, standing with their backs to him, and holding what looked like some kind of firearm.  
Tidus sat up, and as soon as he did, one of the men turned around and yelled at him in their same gibberish.  
"Fung chine! Estrekadabo!" he yelled, hitting Tidus with the butt of his gun.  
"Hey, that hurts!" Tidus yelled, rubbing his shoulder. The other man pumped the action on his gun and pointed it at Tidus' head. "Oh. OK."  
Suddenly, a panel near the back of the ship rose up, and another man stepped out, followed by the girl who had sucker punched Tidus earlier. The two were talking to one another, until they reached Tidus, where the young man, who couldn't have been much older than Tidus anyway, took out a pair of goggles and held them in front of him. He then launched into a long pantomime of something or the other, while the girl stood behind him. When it was done, the young man looked at Tidus expectantly.  
"Yeah. Whatever," Tidus said.  
"Kyra hilda de toran tin do?" The young man asked. The girl behind Tidus shrugged. The young man launched into his pantomime again, but Tidus cut him off by yelling, "I don't understand!"  
The hit-happy person once again tried to whack Tidus with his gun, but the girl cried, "Faid!"  
The guy lowered the gun, and the girl said to Tidus, "He said you can stay if you work for us."  
"Wait-you understand me?" Tidus asked. He turned and was about to say no, but he saw two riot guns pointed at him. "All right-I'll work."  
The girl turned to the young man. "Wa toogla jeleal lok no forte con cuna ecsha ty laymo wetimo!" She said happily to him. He smiled. "Jore," he said, and left.  
Tidus turned to the girl. "What do you need me to do?"  
"We found some old ruins beneath us with a huge power source. It's not active now, but if we can manage to re-activate it, we can. Salvage the big prize!"  
"Got it. So, you want me to help you, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Where's my sword?"  
"Oh, my brother has it. Don't worry-I'll get it back for you before we go."  
The girl headed off to the boy who was Tidus' age. After conversing in their strange language, he disappeared into the ship and re-emerged with the sword in hand. He handed it to Tidus, and also handed him a SCUBA tank. With some difficulty, Tidus managed to get it on, and after that, he and three of the strange people, including the girl and her brother, were standing on the edge of the deck.  
"So, we just jump?" Tidus asked.  
"Yep," said the girl, and she pushed him off.  
SPLASH!  
  
Tidus had gone down pretty far before he got his wits about him. Looking about, he saw the two boys hanging back, and the girl was swimming down, tugging on Tidus' sleeve. Tidus followed her, swimming deeper and deeper. Finally, an old building loomed up into their sight. The front of the building had on opened front, as if there had been no doors there at all. For some reason, Tidus thought it looked like the L-Train station, but that was impossible. This thing in front of him had to be at least 1,000 years old.  
The girl led Tidus through the opened front, and pointed at a computer in the corner. Tidus almost laughed and cried out in shock when he saw it-it was an IBM computer, much like the one that ran the switchboard at the L-Train station. Tidus pushed the power switch, and, to his surprise, the thing came on. Its screen was filled with static and the mouse obviously wouldn't work, making operating the computer hard.  
The girl tapped Tidus on the shoulder, and pointed at a door not too far away. Tidus nodded, and after a while, managed to get it opened from the computer.  
The girl and Tidus swam through the door, finding what looked like a generator inside. They went to work, trying to activate it, when finally; a low hum told them they were done.  
Swimming back out through the door, Tidus and the girl headed topside, emerging from beneath the waves. The girl's brother was waiting for them, and after the girl told him something, they had to go back down.  
Under the water, behind the ruins, they saw it. It was big, and it looked like it had been there for quite some time. It had a huge wheel on the back, two fins on either side, but what it was, Tidus didn't know.  
  
The people were climbing back onto the ship. The girl's brother and one of them were talking.  
"La frudila jo airship! Cid offe ne comu kappu."  
At the end of this, Tidus slumped up onto the deck. He was mentally and physically exhausted. As he leaned there, the girl suddenly appeared, carrying a tray with food. Tidus quickly disposed of this, being as hungry as he was, and soon, he found himself choking on his food.  
"Hey!" the girl said in exasperation. She dropped a water bottle in his lap, which he readily took a drink from. Having filled his empty stomach, he stood up, and stretched out. He turned to face the girl.  
"Hello. What is your name?"  
The girl smiled a little. "Rikku," she said.  
"Whoa! You do understand me!" Tidus cheered, laughing hysterically. For him, it was a relief to have someone to finally talk to.  
"So, where are you from?" Rikku asked.  
"From Chicago. I play basketball there." With that statement, Tidus pretended he had the ball, and was making a jump shot, with an impressive height on the jump.  
Rikku's head tilted slightly to the right. "Chicago..?"  
"Chicago, Illinois. You know-the Windy City? Home of the Sears Tower?"  
"Did you. Hit your head?" Rikku asked slowly.  
"Well, you guys hit me."  
"Oh-right. Well, what all do you remember?"  
Tidus stood next to her and told her everything-about Chicago, the basketball game, about Sin, and how Auron and he had tried to escape it, and how he had ended up here. At the end, Rikku sounded quite shocked.  
"You were close to Sin!" she exclaimed. Tidus looked at her.  
"So?"  
"Well, don't worry. They say your head gets funny when you're near Sin. Maybe this was all just a dream?" she suggested.  
"This was no dream," Tidus said.  
"But, Tidus. Translated into Al Bhed, Chicago means."  
"What's Al Bhed?" Tidus asked.  
"We are. It's our language. Translated, Chicago means."  
"What? Enough with the dramatic pauses!"  
"It means 'Zanarkand.'"  
This obviously did not have the effect Rikku was looking for.  
"What's Zanarkand?" Tidus asked.  
Rikku's mouth dropped about two feet. "You don't remember Zanarkand?" she asked.  
"Kind of hard to remember it when you've never heard of it, huh?"  
"Listen. I think you got close to Sin, your head got fuzzy, you had a dream about this 'Chicago' place, and you're probably a Blitz player, since there's no such thing as basketball."  
"What?!" Tidus yelled. Now, he was mortally offended.  
"Listen! You should go to Luca. If you are a Blitzer, then I'm sure someone will recognize you."  
"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?" Tidus asked sarcastically.  
Rikku started to pace around on the deck. She suddenly stopped and tapped Tidus on the back.  
"OK! Don't worry. I'll get you to Luca. I'll talk to my brother, and he'll take us straight into the Luca Harbor. Stay here-I'll be right back."  
Rikku disappeared into the ship's interior. Almost immediately after she had left, the ship shook. RUMBLE.  
"What the." Tidus asked.  
Suddenly, a huge spray of water appeared. The Al Bhed appeared out of the ship, and Tidus could understand quite well what they were yelling.  
"SIN!!!!"  
"Itaunic! Itaunic!" Rikku was screaming.  
Suddenly, a huge, huge wave came raging over the ship. It caught Tidus, and swept him off of the deck, and into the swirling ocean below. 


	4. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~  
  
It was quite warm. Feeling heat against his back and cold against his chest, Tidus woke with a start. He was again in the ocean, but it was crystal clear water, like out of a picture of the Hawaiian Islands.  
And suddenly, something hit him in the head.  
"Ouch!" Tidus yelled, falling back into the water. He whirled around and stood up, and was facing a beach maybe 50 yards away. There were five people standing there, four of them stretching, and the other watching Tidus. He was a tall man, with sun-tanned skin. Suspender-like belts held up his baggy pants. His red hair was spiked, and in the front, it rose higher than his other hair, and flipped backwards. He was wearing a stylized bandana, a strange 'tank top' kind of shirt, and he had on an arm guard for some kind of sport or the other. His name was Wakka.  
"Hey! You OK?" he called to Tidus, a Jamaican accent in his voice.  
"HEEEEY!" Tidus cheerfully called back. Tidus then spotted an oddly shaped ball floating near him, and, judging from the size and weight, determined that that was what had hit him. He grabbed this, and was about to swim back with it when he noticed the little gathering of huts around the beach. When he was only ankle deep, he noticed a ring that had a fish hanging on it outside one of the huts. Taking aim, Tidus put the strange ball up, and it went into the ring flawlessly.  
The five men were speechless. They gathered around him, with Wakka stepping forward. "You no amateur. Who you play for?"  
"Uh. The. um." Tidus worked hard to remember that word that Rikku had told him Chicago meant, and finally.  
"The Zanarkand Abes," he said proudly.  
At this, the men all gasped and started whispering to one another. "Who. You say, again?" Wakka asked.  
"I mean. Forget that. I was to close to Sin, and my head's all funny- like."  
"You were close to Sin. And you're still alive, too. Praise be to Yevon," Wakka said.  
The other men around him bowed and did this funky hand thing. Wakka then gave them a command.  
"OK, back to work!" He turned to Tidus.  
"I'm Wakka: captain and coach of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda."  
To make the introduction even more uneasy, Tidus' stomach growled.  
"What, you hungry?" Wakka asked in an amused voice. "C'mon. We got plenty o' food in the village. It's this way."  
"Wait. I'd like to ask you something."  
"Sure. Go ahead," Wakka said, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.  
"Is it true that. Zanarkand. was really destroyed? A thousand years ago?"  
Wakka nodded. "Mmm-hmm. 'Used to be big cities, all over Spira. They were powered by machina, and people would play all day, and let the machina do the work. And then, Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities and Zanarkand along 'wit 'em. Yep, that was about 1,000 years ago. But, what gets me is, we gotta suffer because of what some goof-balls did way back when! But we must always repent for our sins. That is important."  
Tidus was now thoroughly bummed. But, to his surprise, Wakka burst out laughing.  
"You, from Zanarkand. That's a good one, eh?"  
  
The way back to Wakka's village was a long route by water. While they were swimming, Tidus asked Wakka questions, which he gladly answered.  
"Hey, Wakka," Tidus called.  
"Yah?"  
"What's Blitzball?"  
Wakka stopped dead. He turned to face Tidus.  
"You don't remember Blitz?! Oh, it's the greatest game in the world! It's played in a huge sphere of water, and you have six guys on your team, one goalie and the rest are players, and it's two halves, four quarters, and you can tackle, and kick, and throw, and when you score a goal, you can laugh and hoot and holler at the other guys because-"  
"OK, Wakka," Tidus said, laughing lightly. "I get the picture."  
The two continued on talking about Blitz, when Tidus mentioned, as a passing comment, that he would like to learn how to Blitz. This also made Wakka stop dead.  
"You-wanna Blitz?"  
"Well, why not?" Tidus asked reasonably. "I'm pretty good at basket ball-"  
"What?" Wakka asked.  
Tidus chose to ignore this. "Teach me. C'mon, I'll be a good student."  
Wakka crossed his arms. "All right," he said after some time. "I'll teach you how to Blitz. But we have to get you some equipment-it's no problem. We gotta shop at the village. But, there's a catch, of course."  
"What..?"  
  
"You gotta help us win da cup, brudda! You gotta help us bring the Crystal Cup back to Besaid Island!"  
  
Tidus and Wakka finally emerged on dry land. They were on somewhat of a mountain, on a cliff that overlooked a small village of closely gathered huts. "Besiad Village," Wakka said. "I started Blitz when I was five. Joined the team when I was 13. Yeah, that was ten years ago. Ten years, and not a single win. Well, anyway."  
Tidus could feel for Wakka. He knew what it was like to not win at something you'd been doing all your life. Wakka continued.  
"I quit. Time seemed right. I got this new job and all, but still my mind kept wandering back to the game. We entered the tournament last year, but something else was on my mind."  
"Nice excuse!" Tidus said.  
"Hey, hey!" Wakka protested.  
"So, what's our goal?" Tidus asked, waiting for the cue.  
Wakka blew it. "I don't care how we do, just so long as we give it our all. Then I can walk away happy."  
"No, no, no, no," Tidus said, waving his hands. "If I say, 'what's our goal?', you say, 'victory!'"  
This idea appealed to Wakka. "Victory? You serious?"  
"Deadly," Tidus responded.  
Wakka crossed his arms. "Never did ask: What's your name?"  
"Zachary Scott. Call me Tidus. Everyone else does."  
Wakka grinned. "OK," he said, "Victory!"  
  
"Here we are! This is where we live."  
"They got any food there?" Tidus asked, his stomach uncomfortably growling.  
"Ahh, we'll get you something later over there. C'mon, I'll show you around."  
Right as Wakka started to lead Tidus into the village, two characters appeared off from the path. The first wore baggy pants, held up by suspenders with lots of rings in it. His hair was flame orange. The other had tan shorts, slick black hair, a green muscle shirt of some kind, and the air of being a learner.  
"Ah, the one from the sea! Be careful-the road is swarming with fiends. T'would be a shame to lose you now."  
With that, they turned and left.  
"Who're they?" Tidus asked.  
"Luzzu and Gatta-Crusaders."  
"Crews of what?" Tidus asked.  
Wakka shook his head. "It might help if you ask them yourself. You might remember something."  
"Sure thing," Tidus said glumly.  
Wakka started to walk away, but then he stopped, and turned back around. "Come here," he whispered to Tidus, leading outside the gates.  
"Now what?" Tidus asked when they got to the gates.  
"Tidus-you remember the prayer, right?"  
Tidus drew a blank. "What prayer?"  
Wakka winced. Recovering, he said "You musta forgot or something. Here, I'll show you."  
Stepping back with his right leg, Wakka brought his hands up over his head. In one motion, he stood back up, bringing his hands down to his stomach, both curved, one above the other, like a circle, and to finish, he bowed. He looked up at Tidus.  
"OK, now you try it."  
Tidus skipped the leg part, and instead, simply put his hands in place and bowed. Wakka nodded.  
"Hmmph. Not bad. Now, you should go present yourself to the temple. Here, I'll show ya."  
Stepping back into the village, Wakka led Tidus to a large building near the edge of the village. "Besaid Temple," Wakka murmured. He led Tidus down a short hallway, until they emerged into a large round chamber.  
"Wow," Tidus muttered.  
The sanctuary was round, with a domed ceiling. It had pews, arranged like risers, all around the outside walls. Up near what was probably the front, there stood many tall statues, and a tall set of stairs leading up to a door with a heavy lock. The place was flame lit, giving it a surreal look, and making Tidus wander if he would ever get back to Chicago.  
"Go present yourself. I'll wait outside," Wakka said. And with that, he left.  
Tidus looked around, until a particular statue caught his eye. He slowly walked over to it, observing that it was obviously some great man, in a red robe, and holding a large staff.  
.with his father's trade-mark "J" etched into his robe!  
Tidus took a step back. A priest, who saw this, mistook his surprise for awe, and crossed over to him.  
"Ten years have gone past since High Summoner Braska defeated Sin, and finally, we receive a statue for our temple," he explained.  
"What's a Summoner?" Tidus asked.  
Gasps erupted from the people in the temple like a volcano in Tahiti. Tidus quickly said, "I got too close to Sin."  
"Praise be to Yevon," the priest said. "With Yevon's help, you will regain your lost memory.  
"The Summoners are practitioners of an ancient art. The pray to the gods, and they hear the prayer, and come to aid the Summoner in the form of Aeons. With these Aeons, a Summoner journeys to defeat Sin, Spira's sorrow. To receive the Aeon, they must pray to the Fayth," the priest said, indicating the door at the top of the stairs.  
"Mmm-hmm. So there's a Summoner in there right now?" Tidus asked.  
"Yes. An apprentice Summoner is praying to the Fayth right now."  
"Huh. Thanks," Tidus said although the priest wasn't much help. He ventured back out into the village, stretched, and yawned, suddenly tired. He made his way towards Wakka, who was casually conversing with a village elder.  
"Hey, Wakka," Tidus said, by way of introduction.  
"You back already? Well, not time for food yet."  
Tidus yawned yet again. Wakka raised an eyebrow.  
"Take a nap! You look bushed," he said.  
Tidus nodded, and Wakka led him to his hut. After Tidus had lain down, Wakka sat at his table, and started to peel potatoes. Suddenly, a priest appeared at the door, looking quite concerned.  
"Shouldn't you go check on them?" he asked with a troubled voice.  
"Can't interfere. It's a rule," Wakka said standing. The priest started to lead him out into the village, his voice trailing.  
"But, it's been nearly."  
  
Somehow, Tidus had heard what the priest said, and it shifted his dreams to the day that his father had been declared missing. As he, 7 at the time, and his mother stood outside the apartment complex, a gaggle of people stood around the stoop and were calling to them:  
"But, it's been nearly 3 days now!"  
"We're still looking for him, ma'am."  
"Where's Jecht? Where's Jecht?!"  
"That's not even his real name!" Tidus lashed out. "His name is John. Jecht is a nickname!"  
But no one cared. They kept crying about their hero, until Tidus yelled again:  
"Who cares if he comes back?"  
The crowd fell silent.  
"But he could die!" his mother said, crouching down to be on level with him.  
"Fine, let him!" Tidus shot back.  
"Zachary. Do you hate him so?"  
Tidus nodded.  
"But, if he dies. you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him," his mother said.  
"Oh well. It's not like he'd listen to me anyway," Tidus said.  
  
Tidus awoke quite suddenly. He expected to see his poster of Reggie Miller above him, but then he realized he wasn't in Chicago. Standing up, and looking around the small hut, he was pretty sure Wakka wasn't there.  
Tidus stepped out into the village, just in time to see Wakka's back retreat into the temple. Tidus ran the distance to the temple's sanctuary, meeting Wakka near the stairs. "What's up?"  
"The Summoner hasn't come outta there yet," Wakka said.  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Tidus asked, running up the stairs. "What if the Summoner's hurt? What if. He's dead?"  
"All precepts must be obeyed!" the priest called.  
"Like I care," Tidus said, turning and opening the door. He then dashed in, leaving Wakka, the priest, and the temple behind.  
After he was inside, Tidus wasn't so sure that rushing to the rescue was the right idea. Nevertheless, he was there, and he would try to find the Summoner.  
Upon entering a stone corridor, Tidus took a left and went down a spiral flight of stairs. After reaching the bottom, Tidus noticed that there was a split in the hallway, right or left. Choosing right, he sped down the long hall just to meet a dead end. Backtracking and doing the opposite lead him to a strange, circular room. Standing in the center, Tidus looked around when he heard something behind him.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka said, stepping up from behind. "What are you thinkin'? Only Summoners and Guardians can come down here!"  
"Well, what about you?" Tidus asked skeptically.  
"Me? I'm a Guardian," Wakka said, a hint of pride in his voice.  
Suddenly, the floor beneath the two men shook. Next, it started to lower, like an elevator!  
"Gotta warn ya," Wakka said on the way down, "there's already Guardians down there. One o' dem's gotta real short fuse, and who knows what the other one's thinkin'."  
The elevator stopped. "Well, we've come this far." Wakka said.  
The two walked into a chamber ahead of them, where two people sat. The first was a woman, a rather busty and flashy woman, who sat clad in all black. The top of her dress was like a leather jacket with the fur lace, and it ended just below her collarbone and right above her chest line. The bottom half was comprised of thousands of leather belts with heavy buckles, all woven around like a funnel shape. The second person. if you could call it a person. looked like a blue lion standing upright. It was wearing battle armor-like apparel, with a long and sharp looking lance slung over his back. His muscles looked like small mountains all over his arms and chest.  
"What do you want?" the woman asked, standing up. "Didn't think we could handle this?"  
"Don't look at me," Wakka said, indicating Tidus. The woman looked at him, with shock written all over her face.  
"Who. are you?" she asked slowly.  
"Is the Summoner OK?" Tidus asked.  
Suddenly, the far wall creaked, and rose up into the ceiling, revealing a small set of stairs, followed by a passage of some sort. Out of this passage, another woman emerged.  
She was simply beautiful. Short brown hair complimented her face, and she was clad in a Japanese-looking silk dress. It was white at the top, the belt was yellow, and the bottom was blue. Tidus also noticed something odd: her left eye was green, but her right eye was blue.  
She tried to make her way down the stairs, but stumbled; she was exhausted. Before she fell, the lion had dashed up the stairs and caught her. Making sure she was strong enough, the lion let go, letting her stand on her own. She turned and faced the others.  
"I've done it," she said. "I have become a Summoner." 


	5. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~  
  
The group emerged from the chamber in the back of the temple, welcoming the praises they received. The young girl was being applauded, and almost as soon as she had appeared, she was gone, swept out the front door. Wakka looked at Tidus.  
"Well, better go out there," Wakka said.  
The two went out into the village. Standing in the "town circle" was the young woman who had announced she was a Summoner. After Wakka and Tidus arrived, Wakka called to her, "Ready."  
"OK," she said back. She was holding an elegantly carved staff in her hands, which she held out in front of her. She started to twirl the staff, and in one swift move, pulled the staff straight and took a step back with her left foot. Light and energy surrounded her, until it soared away into the sky. The sky seemingly exploded, and out of this explosion came a strange, birdlike creature, with a sharp-looking beak, bat-like wings, and eagle talons.  
Wakka gently reached over and shut Tidus' mouth for him, as it had been hanging open two feet. Tidus was stunned. He leaned over, and quietly whispered, "What in the world is that?"  
"It's an Aeon," Wakka answered, looking at the creature with a certain kind of pride in his voice. He and the strange clad-in-black woman rushed forward and hugged and praised and were making quite a fuss over the younger girl. The Aeon, however, chose to take the opportunity to leave, rather than stay.  
  
The day faded into night, and, after being scolded by the priests, Tidus was with Wakka in the clothes shop.  
"This thing has different pant leg length!" Tidus called to Wakka, who was waiting outside.  
"That's how it s'posed to be," Wakka called back.  
Tidus emerged some time later, wearing what he considered "normal": a blue t-shirt, and baggy, long black shorts, and two black "muscle gloves."  
"That what you gonna buy?" Wakka asked.  
"Yeah," Tidus said.  
"OK," Wakka said, nodding outside. "Go. Enjoy yourself!"  
Wakka was talking about the celebration going on outside, put on in honor of the Summoner. There was a large bonfire in the town circle, and everyone in the small village had turned out. Tidus helped himself to some food, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone, since all he received were dark looks.  
Just as Tidus was finished, Wakka emerged from the shop, took Tidus by the arm, and led him over to a group of people, wearing similar attire to match Wakka's.  
"Let me introduce ya to da team, the Besaid Aurochs," Wakka said, pointing at them. "OK boys! Dis guy's called Tidus. He wanted to play Blitzball so bad, I let him on da team. Go on," he said to Tidus, pushing him forward, "say 'hi.'"  
"Uh. Hi, guys."  
The players nodded in response. Wakka started talking, but Tidus wasn't listening. He was instead looking at the Summoner. She saw him, smiled, and waved. He kind of waved back, until he felt a sharp pain in his side. Wakka had elbowed him.  
"She's cute, yah?" Wakka asked, his eyebrow rising.  
Tidus slowly nodded.  
Wakka smiled heartily. "Well, don't get no ideas."  
"Yeah, but what if she, like, comes onto me?" Tidus asked.  
"That's not gonna happen," Wakka said flatly.  
Wakka turned away for a brief second, and Tidus crossed over to where the Summoner was sitting. Next to her sat a little girl and an elderly couple. When the woman saw Tidus approach, she cried, "Stay away from the Summoner!"  
"You're a bad man!" The little girl yelled.  
The Summoner, however, stood. "Lady Yuna. Be careful." the old man cautioned.  
"But. It's really my fault. That all of this happened." The Summoner said. She crossed over to Tidus.  
"Thank you for coming in after me. I am Yuna," she said, bowing.  
"Hey, uh, that Aeon thing was pretty.uh. amazing," Tidus said, attempting to make conversation.  
"Really?" Yuna asked, perking up. "Do you think that I could be High Summoner?"  
Shoot, Tidus thought.  
"Uh. Sure!" Tidus said.  
Just then, the little girl came over and tugged on Yuna's dress. "Lady Yuna, come play with us some more," she said, indicating her friends. Yuna nodded.  
"Well," Yuna said, "we'll talk some more tomorrow."  
"Tomorrow?" Tidus asked.  
"We're taking the same boat, aren't we?" Yuna asked. She started to walk away when she suddenly stopped, and said "You can tell me all about Zanarkand."  
"Wha..?" Tidus asked. Wakka crossed over.  
"You ready for bed?"  
"Right," Tidus said slowly, still looking at Yuna's retreating back.  
"OK. I have a bed made for you at the lodge."  
  
Tidus couldn't get to sleep at all that night. He tossed and turned and finally, just when he'd given up on sleep, he heard it.  
"He's dead, all right? Dead," a woman's voice said from outside. Tidus got out of his bed and peeked out the curtain.  
Wakka was talking to the dressed-in-black lady from the temple.  
"I was surprised too when I saw him, but he's not Chappu," she said.  
Wakka wasn't looking at her. He was more interested in his feet.  
"Yeah, but, he needed our help."  
"Excuses again? Enough, Wakka!"  
"Lulu? Lulu! C'mon! Damn." Wakka muttered after Lulu didn't come back. With a look of defeat on his face, Wakka walked into the lodge. Tidus was waiting.  
"Scary." Tidus commented. Wakka nodded. "So. Who's Chappu?" Tidus asked.  
"My little brudda. Chappu. He looked like you." Wakka paused, clearing his throat. "He was with the Crusaders last year when they fought Sin."  
Wakka stopped. Tidus waited.  
"He didn't make it," Wakka said.  
"Oh," Tidus said glumly.  
"I first found out on the day of the tournament. So that's why I quit. After that, I got this new job as a guardian, you know?"  
"So, what? For revenge?"  
"That was the idea," Wakka said. "But now, I'm more concerned with a stupid game."  
"Hey, don't worry! You have a right to be. happy," Tidus said, finding what he thought was the right word. "What I wanna say is. Thanks, Wakka," Tidus said.  
Wakka looked at Tidus and smiled weakly. "Stop it. Now you're embarrassing me."  
  
Tidus woke late in the morning. Entering the village, he encountered Wakka and Lulu standing next to each other. "Hey, sleepyhead!" Wakka called. "I got somethin' for ya."  
Wakka took a sword out from behind him. It looked like it was made out of water that had been somehow contained in one place.  
"Whoa!" Tidus said, taking the sword. He turned away and tried the sword out, swinging it here and there. Lulu suddenly spoke.  
"That's the sword you gave Chappu," she said.  
Tidus stopped and looked at Wakka. "Well. He never used it," Wakka said simply. "So now, it's yours."  
"Thanks," Tidus said, gazing at the sword. Lulu looked on with contempt in her eyes.  
"Where's Yuna?" Tidus asked. Almost as soon as he did so, Yuna appeared from the Temple, trying to carry a rather large suitcase.  
"You really don't need that luggage," Lulu called out to her.  
"They're not mine," Yuna said, unable to control the suitcase, and watching as it rolled down the steps. "They're gifts for the temples we're to visit."  
"This isn't a pleasure cruise, ya know." Wakka said. Yuna finally gave up, and joined the group. They proceeded up the same hill that overlooked the village, to a monument that looked as though it had been there for some time. Wakka bowed down, praying. He noticed Tidus watching on, and muttered, "People pray here when they leave the island. Gives 'em good luck. Chappu didn't pray that day.told me he'd miss his boat."  
Tidus simply watched on. Yuna and Lulu quietly looked over the village. "Take your time," Lulu said softly, and she turned away, unable to stare down at the tiny village any longer.  
"All right," Yuna said, after a bit. "Let's get going."  
  
The group continued on through the mountains; Yuna couldn't swim, so they took the long way instead. They reached what looked like the peak, where remains of fallen cities had burrowed deeply into the rock. One such remain looked like giant spider legs, arching over the path. Tidus suddenly noticed that all became quiet.  
"Guys?" he asked. He turned around, and saw that they had vanished.  
Tidus looked around. He was, again, alone in a strange place. His hand tightened around the handle of his sword. He held it out in front of him, unsure of what to do. 


	6. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~  
  
Tidus nervously looked around him, completely unaware of what was lurking above him. Suddenly, a roar sounded out, and Tidus looked up just in time to see the lion-dude jump over his head and land behind him, spear in hand. The lion growled, when suddenly, out of nowhere, Wakka yelled "That's enough!"  
The lion suddenly became passive. He put his spear back into its sling, and walked off. Tidus watched, while Wakka smiled.  
"Wha. What's with that guy?" Tidus asked.  
"Kimarhi Ronso, of the Ronso Tribe," Lulu explained, emerging from behind the ruins. "He's learned the fiend's way of fighting."  
Fiends? Tidus thought.  
He heard laughter, and soon, Yuna was standing next to him. "Don't worry-sometimes we don't understand him either."  
"C'mon, let's go," Wakka called. He was already further along on the path, waving for the others to catch up.  
  
There were a lot of tears down at the dock as the Summoner and her party made their way to the boat. Tidus watched as the villagers gave her gifts and smiled and hugged her. He followed Wakka onto the boat, followed by Lulu. Yuna boarded, and Kimarhi came up as well, taking a post outside the cabin, almost like a secret service agent. Yuna waved one last time, and the boat pulled out.  
  
Tidus observed a person the deck with binoculars. He quickly snuck up behind the guy, and swiped them. He looked out to the distant island they were headed for, then, he looked at Lulu, Wakka and Yuna, as she emerged from the cabin. She saw him, and waved. Tidus waved, too, but he did so with the hand holding the binoculars, so they went overboard. He smiled sheepishly at the guy, and quickly ran over to Wakka.  
"This your first time out at sea?" Wakka asked.  
"Yeah. It's pretty cool."  
"That's Kilika Island," Wakka said, pointing at the green mass in the distance. "Yuna has to pray at the temple. I'll be guarding. We'll pray for the Auroch's victory too."  
Nearby, Lulu chuckled. "What?" Wakka asked defensively.  
"Pray for victory. Great plan," she said.  
"What, it is a great plan," Wakka said, looking at Tidus. "Don't ask me," Tidus muttered, walking away.  
  
The day had slowly turned to night, and almost everyone except for the Summoner party and the Aurochs had turned in. Tidus had gone below deck, and then reemerged with a wick wire trash basket in his hands. He went around to the front of the boat, which was roughly as large as a half court, and, after pulling the bottom out, nailed the basket to the upper deck. He disappeared below deck, and came back up with a piece of chalk and a Blitzball. He marked where a free throw line should be, tossed the chalk aside, and threw the ball flawlessly through the hoop.  
Tidus continued to practice, jumping at impressive heights and sinking almost every shot. He took a quick break, and noticed that Yuna was watching him, apparently mesmerized. She called out, "Basset Ball!"  
"What?" Tidus called back. Yuna walked towards him.  
"Basset Ball," Yuna said, motioning to Tidus' make-shift hoop. "You're playing Basset Ball, aren't you?"  
"Basket Ball," Tidus corrected. "How did you know that?"  
"A man named Jecht told me."  
Tidus stopped dead. "Jecht," he muttered. "Jecht's my old man."  
"He is?" Yuna asked excitedly. "Tidus, do you know how lucky you are?"  
"Not very?" Tidus asked.  
"What makes you say that?"  
"My old man's a jerk," Tidus said, sinking a shot. "At least, he was. My old man died ten years ago. This guy named Auron's been watching me since."  
This, for Yuna, was apparently too much. "Sir Auron? The Sir Auron?"  
"He was knighted?" Tidus asked. "I never knew he went to England," he muttered.  
"Sir Auron was my father's Guardian! So was Jecht!"  
Tidus stopped. "Who's your dad?" he asked. He was slowly remembering that statue from the temple in Besaid.  
"My father's name was Braska," Yuna said.  
Tidus' head was swimming. Ten years have passed since High Summoner Braska defeated Sin, and finally, we receive a statue for our temple. The priest's words echoed in his head. "That's impossible," he said slowly. "My dad died ten years ago. Right?" he asked.  
"And Jecht came to Spira ten years ago!" Yuna said.  
"That's impossible," Tidus said. "How on Earth could he get here?!"  
"You're here," Yuna said quietly.  
Tidus looked at her. "No way. Two different guys. They have to be." Tidus turned and took a shot. It hit the "backboard" and bounced away.  
  
It was almost always sunny and tropical on Kilika Island. Very few people lived on the actual mainland, because of the deadly creatures that roamed through the jungles. Docks had been placed all around the island, making a make-shift port-village.  
The mother sat watching her two children playing with a Blitzball while nursing the third. None of them noticed the huge mass rising out of the water just a short distance away until it was too late.  
The water fell away from its body and revealed the distorted whale- like creature it was. It had come for only one purpose: to kill as many living creatures as it could.  
Sin reared its head back, and the wooden planks that made up the docks were suddenly pulled into the sky, swirling above Sin's "head". A man tried to resist the extreme power by clinging to a nearby palm tree, but was hit hard in the face by a piece of debris, knocking him lose. Houses were ripped into splinters, extracting all that was inside and pulling whatever it could into the spiral of death and destruction. A few people tried to escape further inland, including the mother and her three children. No matter how hard they ran, they were eventually swept up.  
There were no survivors.  
The debris Sin had pulled into its fatal "tornado" fell back to the water. It had done what it came to do, even though it knew that this was only a small piece of the Kilika population. As it submerged itself in the water, ready to depart, the Blitzball that the children had been playing with floated by, bouncing off of debris and bodies.  
  
It was dusk when the boat carrying the Summoner party pulled into Kilika Port. Climbing off of the boat, they looked around at the destruction. Wakka muttered, "Oh, no."  
"What happened here?" Tidus asked.  
"Sin," Lulu said from behind him.  
Yuna was climbing off of the boat when she saw. She looked around, and as she did, an elderly and young woman walked towards the group. "Greetings," Yuna said, bowing to them. "I am Yuna from the Isle of Besaid."  
"Thank goodness, m'lady," said the older woman. "Our loved ones. We feared they would become fiends!"  
"If there is no one else, I will perform the Sending," Yuna said. "Please take me to them."  
The villagers led Yuna on down the dock. Wakka turned to the boat. "C'mon, boys!" he called, indicating the Aurochs. He turned to Tidus.  
"We're gonna go see what we can do to help out around town," Wakka said. "Keep an eye on Yuna for me!" With that, he and the Aurochs departed. Tidus, however, took off in the opposite direction.  
He caught up with Lulu on a different part of the dock, to what looked like a makeshift cemetery in the water. Tidus approached Lulu. "What's a Sending?" he asked.  
Lulu shook her head. "The dead need guidance. The Sending helps ease their way into what is known as the Farplane. If they are not sent, they become envious of the living. That envy turns to anger, which turns to hate. In time, they would become fiends who prey upon the living."  
By this time, Yuna had taken off her shoes, and was literally walking on the water. When she was directly over the coffins in the water, she began to dance, a beautiful, elegant dance, which eventually led to the water rising like a pillar to hoist her into the sky. Strange lights started to appear, and Tidus guessed that they were the deceased's souls. They rose in a ring around Yuna, before finally departing into the sky.  
  
The next morning, the island was sunny and bright again. Tidus came out of the village shop and started to track down Wakka. He found him helping to repair a dock that had been smashed in. "Hey, how can I help?" he asked.  
"Ah, you're awake! You sleep in late, Tidus!" Wakka said.  
"Thanks," Tidus said, rolling his eyes. Wakka became serious.  
"We're going to get ready to go to Kilika Temple. When we're done there, our next stop is Luca!" 


	7. Chapter 7

~Chapter 7~  
  
Wakka and Tidus were the last to meet the group. They were just barely in the forest, talking about the temple Yuna was about to visit.  
"What's up?" Wakka asked.  
"Yuna has decided she wants. him. as a guardian," Lulu said, motioning to Tidus.  
"Huh?" Tidus asked.  
"Hey, dis guy may be good at that-whatchamacallit-"  
"Basket Ball," Tidus said.  
"-that," Wakka said, "But that don't make him a guardian, ya know."  
Thanks, Tidus thought to himself bitterly.  
"Well, then." Yuna said softly. "Not as a guardian. I just want him nearby."  
"Wha..?" Wakka asked.  
"Ya know, I'm still here, guys," Tidus said, with an annoyed tone in his voice.  
Yuna looked embarrassed. "Forgive me," she said. An awkward silence followed until Lulu finally said, "We should get going."  
Kimarhi ventured farther up the trail than the others. "Prob'ly checking for fiends," Wakka said when Tidus had asked.  
The group finally took a break at the base of what looked like a very old, stone stairway. "These stairs have a history, you know," Wakka said. "Lord Oholland trained on these steps when he was a blitzer. He'd run up and down, and up and down. He was very organized."  
"He sounds dedicated," Tidus said.  
"All right!" Wakka cried suddenly. "See that plateau up there?" he asked, pointing to a level area further up the stairs. "You time me-from here to there and back again!"  
"OK," Yuna said. "Ready-set-go!"  
Wakka shot off from the foot of the stairs and headed up the stairs. Tidus was also timing him, trying to see if he could beat Wakka in a race.  
  
Wakka disappeared over the lip of the first "landing" and suddenly, a shout shot through the air:  
"Everybody get up here! Sinspawn!"  
Immediately, Lulu and Kimarhi took off, each staying in front of Yuna. Tidus also followed, holding the watery-like sword Wakka had given him.  
When the rest of the group caught up to Wakka, they saw him staring down what appeared to be a large, sturdy shell. It had evidently ripped up the stone floor, as it looked like it had emerged from underground. Two large vine-like extensions were also unearthing the stone, one on each side of the plateau.  
"Weapons out, everyone!" Wakka commanded, and the group complied. Kimarhi instantly unsheathed his lance, Tidus already had his sword, Lulu was holding a voodoo doll, Yuna had a staff in her hands, and Wakka had a very strange weapon-he was holding a Blitz ball.  
"What do you expect to do with that?" Tidus asked skeptically.  
"Just watch," Wakka said, smiling.  
Subconsciously, everyone formed a ring around the Summoner. Wakka squared his shoulders, took aim, and lobbed the ball at the shell. It hit with the force of a large battering ram, but it didn't seem to phase the shell.  
"My ball doesn't work! How about magic?" Wakka cried.  
At first, Tidus thought Wakka was talking to Yuna. But Lulu stepped forward instead, and, holding the voodoo doll in one hand, she raised her other, and brought it down violently. Immediately, a burst of fire appeared around the shell, but the tentacles suddenly lashed forward and absorbed the energy.  
"It's no good!" Lulu called.  
"You look after Yuna! Kimarhi! Let's go!" Tidus yelled.  
Catching on, Kimarhi ran forward with Tidus, and both bade and spear point met the shell. And both blade and spear point ricocheted off of the shell.  
Tidus looked around, and it was lucky he did, as one of the tentacles came pelting out of nowhere to hit him. But basketball had granted him amazing agility, and he dodged it, though just barely. Kimarhi had, of course, also jumped out of the way.  
Tidus landed on both feet, and, looking at the tentacles, was struck by a sudden idea. Alone, he charged down the tentacle to his right, and started hacking away at the base.  
"Tidus! Get back here!" Wakka called out to him.  
But Tidus kept hacking, and one last powerful swing severed the tentacle. It fell to the stone floor and evaporated.  
"Do that to the other one!" Tidus yelled back at Wakka.  
Acting as one, the Summoner party turned and attacked the other tentacle. Wakka threw his ball, Lulu cast magic, Kimarhi hacked away, and Yuna hit it with her staff, though tentatively. At last, the combined efforts not only took the tentacle down, it made the shell open.  
A rancid smell filled their noses as an acid green cloud emerged from under the shell. At last, the creature itself was exposed.  
It looks like one of those worms from Tremors, Tidus thought to himself. It had a green, pointed head, narrow slits for eyes, sharp fangs, muscular arms, and long, spindly, tentacle-like fingers.  
WHACK!  
Wakka's ball had smacked the creature right in the face, dazing it slightly. The others ran forward, slicing, casting spells, and hitting the creature.  
"Not so tough without your shell, huh?" Tidus yelled. In no time, the creature evaporated into a mysterious, multicolored light.  
Tidus collapsed onto the stone floor. He was breathing hard, having just killed a monster for the first-but certainly not the last-time in his life.  
What-was-that-thing?" Tidus panted, looking at Wakka, who was standing quite normally.  
"A Sinspawn. Sin drops them off of its body, and eventually, it calls out to it to come back."  
"But if you kill it before it does that, Sin won't come back.Right?" Tidus asked uncertainly.  
"Right," Wakka said. He held out his hand, which Tidus took.  
"Hoped to break you in a little slower, but. Not bad," Wakka said, looking at Tidus with new respect.  
"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.  
"Well, Yuna said she wanted ya around, so."  
"Might as well make you useful," Lulu said from the other side of the platform. The others had already started up the stairs. "Let's go!" she called.  
The rest of the climb proved uneventful, until Wakka suddenly stopped and said, "You know, I been thinkin'. What if Sin," he glanced at Lulu, and threw caution to the winds, "doesn't kill people? Maybe he takes 'em to some place far away. Like a thousand years or somethin'."  
He shot a Tidus this time, but Lulu rolled her eyes, looked pointedly at Wakka, and said, "No, Wakka. Sin didn't take your brother anywhere. It killed him, and left him on the D'Jose shore. He isn't your brother," Lulu jerked her head in Tidus' direction. She turned around and stormed off up the stairs.  
  
If the temple in Besaid had been something, it was nothing compared to the Kilika temple. Towering and beautifully sculpted, the Kilika temple stopped Tidus dead in his tracks and filled him with awe.  
"Cool, huh?" Wakka asked.  
"Yeah," Tidus managed to spit out.  
Suddenly, a group of men wearing identical clothing appeared at the steps of the temple. They were all clad in purple shirts, yellow shorts, and green gloves and green boots. They had a large, stylized "G" on the chest of the shirts. Wakka grimaced.  
"Who're they?" Tidus asked.  
"Blitzers," Wakka said. "They're the Luca Goers." 


	8. Chapter 8

~Chapter 8~  
  
The Goers swaggered up to Wakka and the Summoner party.  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Besaid Losers," one of them said. He held himself proudly; Tidus got the distinct impression he was the team captain.  
Wakka forced himself into a pleasant voice and said, "You here to pray for victory, too?"  
"Pray? Who needs to pray?" The Goers Captain asked. "The Luca Goers always win. How 'bout you? What's your motto this time? You gonna 'do your best?' It's too bad that your best isn't good enough," he sneered at Wakka.  
Tidus stepped forward. The Goers Captain was at least in his mid- twenties, but Tidus was a few inches taller than him. He got right in his face and said "Bring it. You guys will be sorry you ever laughed at us. This year, we're gonna wipe those smiles off your face."  
Tidus leaned over to whisper in his ear: "You better watch your back. Oh, and uhh. Your uniforms make you look."  
Tidus was speaking so low that the only person who could hear him was the Goers Captain. When he stepped back, the Goers Captain was wearing an even more unpleasant expression now.  
"Take it back," the Captain growled.  
"You gonna make me?" Tidus asked. His fists were clenched.  
"Enough!" Yuna yelled. "This is a temple of Yevon! It is not a fight yard! That is enough!"  
The Goers surveyed the Summoner. The Captain beckoned to his team and they sulked away. Tidus saw Yuna and saw that she was shaking slightly.  
"Sorry," Tidus said meekly.  
"Those. People!" Yuna said. "How could they be so unpleasant?"  
"I know. They're just like my old man! Always putting people down."  
Yuna now looked startled. "But. The Sir Jecht I knew was a kind, gentle man."  
"Not my Jecht," Tidus muttered.  
A long silence followed. Lulu finally said, "Let's get moving."  
The Summoner party entered the temple and Wakka instantly kneeled at the stone feet of a Summoner statue. He prayed silently for a moment and stood. "So. The Goers are pretty good, huh?" Tidus asked.  
"This team of Goers is," Wakka answered. "Ranked number one in the league. They've always beaten us. Every single tournament we've played, we've always been put against the Goers. And we've always lost."  
"Well, not this time," Tidus said. "I've got an idea. Wakka, do the games get recorded?"  
"Yeah," Wakka said blankly, "They get put on video spheres. Why?"  
"We need to buy every single Goers game. I'll explain later."  
As this was happening, a wall at the far side of the temple opened, and a woman and a man emerged. The woman stopped, surveying the crowd in front of her.  
"A Summoner party." she muttered.  
She and the big, thick man behind her walked forward. "Greetings," Yuna said, seeing them approach. "I am Lady Yuna from the Isle of Besaid."  
"Lady Dona," said the other woman. Tidus was strongly reminded of his father; this woman had the same 'unimpressed' tone of voice.  
She surveyed the guardians and Tidus, her cold, green eyes lingering on each of them for a few seconds before moving on. "So. High Summoner Braska's daughter. You have a lot to live up to."  
"Yes. It is hard, sometimes, being my father's daughter."  
"And these.people. are your guardians?" she asked, her eyes lingering on Kimarhi. "As I recall, High Summoner Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear, what ever were you thinking."  
"I only have so many guardians as there are people I can trust with my life," Yuna said, a force in her voice that wasn't quite natural. Dona was still visibly unimpressed. She motioned to her guardian and left. Tidus rolled his eyes.  
"Boy, we meet all the great ones, don't we?" he asked. The others laughed-even Lulu allowed herself a smile.  
The Summoner party walked over to the doorway in the wall and walked down a long hallway until they reached a round piece of flooring similar to the one in Besaid Temple. Wakka and Lulu stood behind Yuna, and Kimarhi and Tidus stood in front of her. Tidus suddenly felt someone shove him from the platform. It was Kimarhi.  
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Tidus asked angrily.  
"Only guardians are allowed down there," Wakka said.  
"So?"  
"You're not a guardian," Lulu said, reverting back to her cold self.  
"We'll back as soon as we can," Yuna said desperately. The group started to descend into the pit.  
"Yeah, soon-like, next Tuesday, maybe," Tidus yelled after them. He scowled, and decided to check out the rest of the temple, when suddenly, Dona the Summoner and her guardian came back.  
"Where's Lady Yuna?" she asked.  
Tidus pointed to the platform, which had reemerged.  
"But why aren't you down there?" Dona asked.  
"Hey, only guardians, right? I'm not a guardian."  
"I see. Barthellow!"  
The big guy behind Dona suddenly picked Tidus up and threw him onto the platform, which obediently went back down, leaving Tidus to listen to the sounds of Dona's and Barthellow's laughter.  
"This is bad," Tidus said to himself. "This is really bad."  
The platform came to a halt, in a large circular room. Tidus started getting to his feet when the others spotted him.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka said in a hushed voice. "Whatta you think you're doin'?"  
"Hey, don't blame me!" Tidus said defensively. "That Dona woman threw me down here!"  
"But Yuna will be the one to take the consequences!" Lulu said an angry voice.  
"What's the worst that could happen?" Tidus asked.  
"She could be excommunicated!" Wakka said.  
Tidus was growing to like Yevon less and less every day. It seemed to be more of a dictatorship than a religion.  
Tidus looked across the room to a door where Kimarhi stood guard. "What's in there?" Tidus asked.  
"The Fayth," Wakka answered. "You remember that Aeon? From Besaid?"  
"Yeah."  
"The Fayth is where the Aeon comes from. It's a statue containing the soul of a deceased person. When the Summoner beckons, the soul emerges to help the Summoner as an Aeon. See?"  
"I guess so."  
Suddenly, the door opened and Yuna stumbled out. "I am. finished." she breathed, collapsing onto the floor. "We. can go."  
  
Yuna had to be carried back, a task the Kimarhi took up without any complaint or anyone asking. The group made their way into the village, where Kimarhi and Lulu stood guard outside the inn where Yuna slept. Wakka, however, had brought Tidus down to the water to teach him Blitzball.  
"Now, first you gotta meet the team," Wakka said, and pointing at the furthest from him he introduced them: "Datto, Letty, Jassu, Botta, and Keepa. He's the Goalie."  
The team nodded to Tidus, who nodded back. "OK," Wakka said, "Blitzball is played in a giant sphere. It's just like water except you can breathe in it. Now, the team has six players: one goalie and six offensive/defensive guys. OK?"  
"Yeah," Tidus said.  
"Now, it's just like this. uh."  
"Basket Ball?" Tidus asked.  
"Yeah, except you can kick the ball, too. It's easier to explain if everyone's moving. Boys! Let's go!"  
The team started practicing, and Tidus noticed that they weren't exactly the most coordinated team on the planet. Nevertheless, he quickly caught on, and soon, Wakka was rallying the team again.  
"We can win the Cup this year! I know it!"  
Tidus noticed that the other players' smiles had become rather fixed. They simply nodded and murmured their agreement.  
"OK, boys," Wakka said, "get to bed! We get on the boat tomorrow, and the next stop is Luca!" 


	9. Chapter 9

~Chapter 9~  
  
It was by far the most advanced city Tidus had seen thus far. Tall, sweeping towers lined the sky, billions of people walked the streets, and there was no doubt in his mind that he had finally reached the central metropolis of Spira-Luca was simply huge.  
The boat Tidus and the others had taken was carrying the Auochs, the Kilika Beasts, and, to the Aurochs' disappointment, the Luca Goers. But Wakka and Tidus had a plan-one that they had let the team in on just two days before arriving at the Luca dock.  
Tidus had gone to bed in the sea, but had woken up to the sounds of fireworks. Heading to the top deck, he saw Luca for the first time. Yuna came out to admire it with him, and it was an awkward moment-the two of them, standing together in perfect silence, Kimarhi watching intently (he followed Yuna wherever she went). Then, Wakka had emerged, pulled Tidus aside, and said, "OK. This is gonna be your first match. You OK?"  
"Yeah," Tidus said. "Like basket ball in water, right?"  
"Right," Wakka said, beaming.  
The Luca harbor swam closer and closer into view. Tidus saw that it was actually a dock surrounding a huge, glass-encased stadium. It looked like a huge clear half-marble jutting from the angled-down roofing of the harbor. It was connected to the city by a long, narrow roadway.  
The boat pulled into an empty dock, and instantly, people on the dock turned to see the teams as they came off of the boat, cheering and calling their favorite players' names. Two commentators were calling out everything that was going on.  
"And stepping off the boat in Dock 2 are the Kilika Beasts! You know, it's very symbolic of them to be here, since Kilika recently fell victim to Sin earlier in the week. They carry the hopes and dreams of all from Kilika, and it's definitely a spirit-lifter to see the here today. Jimma?"  
"That's right, Bobba," Jimma said, and Tidus chuckled. "What's so funny?" Wakka asked.  
"Every sports commentator is named Bob and Jim," he said.  
"And now stepping off of the boat are our very own Luca Goers!" Bobba cried, barely heard over the roaring crowd. "This team is unbelievable! Nine years in a row, they've managed to capture the season-beginning tournament, and the Crystal Cup! They as a team, though, only have one more year-this year-to make that 10-season winning streak."  
"That's right, because Goers Captain Bickson's contract was not extended past this year! A conflict with team owners has ensured that Bickson will be on his own next year. We hope a team contracts him quickly," Jimma said.  
"Team owners." Wakka muttered to Tidus. "All we've got is me. I'm coach and captain. no one owns our team."  
When the Goers cleared off, the Aurochs stepped forward. Wakka led them, while Tidus stood with the others in a V-like formation.  
"Well, well, well!" Bobba said in an amused, mocking voice. "If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs!"  
A tirade of boos met the ears of the Aurochs. Bobba continued on with his run-down of the team.  
"They are a living, breathing, statistical anomaly! I have never seen a team this bad! They haven't won a single match in 20 years-and they were founded twenty years ago!"  
Tidus turned to Wakka. "What?!" he mouthed.  
"The old team captain retired ten years ago-that's when I took over da team," Wakka said, shrugging.  
"Only a few die-hard fans are in the stands today," Bobba said, and Tidus noticed five-yes, five people standing under a faded and aged banner that read "We Believe in you Aurochs!" With the word "Still" crudely painted above "We" and "Believe."  
"Good luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid," Jimma said.  
A man stood some distance away. At first, it took him some time to register who had just come off of the boat. He locked his gaze on Tidus, confident that he couldn't sense himself being watched. This man suddenly smiled and muttered under his breath, "Blitz. Just like his father."  
Tidus had suddenly gotten the feeling he was being watched. He looked over to where the man had been standing, but he had vanished.  
  
The team stood off to the side of the dock, with the rest of the Summoner party standing with them. It was a strange sight to the passerby: Kimarhi, Lulu, Yuna, Wakka, Tidus, and the Aurochs. Yuna and Kimarhi were out of earshot, talking to a priest (at least, Yuna was, Kimarhi just stood there with his arms crossed). Suddenly, Yuna excitedly ran back to the group, startling Kimarhi and forcing him into a strange looking jog.  
"Grand Maester Mika is coming!" she said breathlessly. "Dock 3. Can we go see him?"  
"Who's Grand Maester Mika?" Tidus asked.  
"The leader of Yevon. Kinda like a bishop," Wakka explained.  
"It's his fiftieth year in office," Lulu said thoughtfully, as though she had remembered something important.  
"He's gotta be pretty old, then," Tidus said, chuckling. Wakka grabbed his shoulder.  
"Mind your manners."  
"Can we go see him?" Yuna asked, almost whining.  
"Of course," Lulu said, and they all ventured out onto a large pathway leading to Dock 3. Tidus noticed many people were flocking over as well.  
Grand Maester Mika's boat was nothing short of a yacht powered by sails. Bright, livid colors set the boat apart from the measly little ones docking alongside it. Suddenly, a full symphony orchestra leapt off of the boat, and struck up a loud, proud tune. Everyone immediately bowed.  
"Bow! Do it!" Wakka hissed at Tidus, and he bowed, but was unable to keep his head down. He watched in complete amazement.  
A ramp descended from the boat, clad in the deepest blue velvet Tidus had ever seen. Two priests stepped off of the ship, followed by quite a strange character indeed.  
He was clad in long, baggy robes, colored a strange kind of blue, held together in the front by thick, brightly colored belts. He seemed to have on no shirt, and his robes were opened to reveal his chest, which had a strange, steel-gray tattoo running over his chest and stomach. His fingers were long and pointy, as though they couldn't decide if they wanted to be fingers or claws. His thin face was livid and clever-looking, with shocking blue eyes, and crazy, electric-blue hair. This man turned, and bowed to the ship.  
"That's Maester Seymour!" someone in front of Tidus whispered excitedly.  
"But isn't he a Guado?" asked someone else.  
And suddenly, another man appeared, an old and feeble looking man. He was dressed in long, white robes, with a shoulder piece that looked like a triangle outlined in orange and filled in with green. Down the front of his robes were two yellow lines alongside a large green one. Atop his head was a small, bandana-like cloth, purple in color. His wrinkled face almost made his eyes look shut, but Tidus could see the tiniest bit of white and what he supposed was green. His mouth was framed (and hidden) by a small mustache and beard, both completely white. He had a full head of hair, also completely white.  
So that's Grand Maester Mika, Tidus thought.  
"Citizens of Spira," he said in a feeble, British accent, "thank you for your welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour," he said, almost as an after thought, "as well as the rest of you all."  
Seymour and all of the people on the dock stood. Maester Mika continued talking.  
"I'm sure you all recognize my former apprentice, Maester Seymour, who is taking up the position of his late father, Maester Jyscal, who passed on to the Farplane a fortnight ago."  
He bowed his head to Seymour, who bowed back. In one tremendous stride, he stepped in front of the Grand Maester. Tidus was suddenly struck by how tall he was.  
He faced the crowd and smiled. Perhaps it was just Tidus, but this Seymour character seemed to be emitting a coldness from him that was overwhelming. Tidus shivered.  
"Hello," he said in a soft, slightly high-pitched voice. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to hold the position of Maester, but more importantly, the position my father held.  
"In life, my father worked to create a bond between all the people of Spira," Seymour continued, his blue eyes sweeping the crowd. He saw Yuna, and locked his gaze on her, staring straight into her blue-and-green eyes.  
"It is my deepest wish to continue his work," he finished, speaking very softly now, still locking Yuna with what seemed an inescapable gaze. He finally blinked, bowed to Maester Mika, and off they went, surrounded by strong-looking men with swords.  
"Creepy!" Tidus said, watching Maester Seymour walk away. "That guy. He looks so."  
"Yeah," Wakka said, filling in what Tidus was thinking. "Rumors say he's a little weird. But his father was a great guy."  
Wakka turned to Tidus and the team. "OK," he said, "Locker rooms! And don't forget what we studied!"  
Tidus cheered with the rest of them, and started following them when something caught his eye. A red coat.an empty sleeve.  
Nah, Tidus thought. He blinked, and whatever he saw was gone, though it bugged him for a while afterwards.  
  
Wakka showed him the locker rooms, but instead of changing, Tidus decided to explore the city a little. He left the locker rooms, located off to the side of the entrance to the Blitzball stadium.  
Tidus hesitated. His curiosity got the best of him, and he took to the stairs leading to the stands. When he emerged, he was reminded of a basket ball dome, except it was circular instead of rectangular. At the bottom and very center, there was a large, round, concrete platform. All around the platform were huge nozzles-16 in all-and they were pointing skyward.  
Tidus walked around the edge of the balcony he had entered upon, lined with stairs leading up and down. As he walked, the Top Box came into better view.  
Sitting in a large, ornate chair was Maester Mika. Off to the side, in a less exotic looking seat, sat Maester Seymour.  
Seymour was scanning the crowd, hoping to spot someone, Tidus supposed. Then, to his ultimate displeasure, Seymour's eyes rested on him.  
Seymour looked at him, apparently unimpressed, when he looked Tidus up and down. A small smile played at his lips, and his eyes left Tidus, and began roving the stands once more.  
Suddenly, to everyone's surprised, the nozzles all exploded.  
16 streaming jets of water soared through the air, up about 100 feet, when suddenly, the all arched back down, though it was like an unseen force had caused the apparent "doming." At the bottom, instead of hitting the opposing nozzle, the water once again domed out.  
Tidus watched in complete amazement as a watery dome was slowly being filled, hanging in midair, and having its shape held by absolutely nothing. Within 15 minutes, a full, 100 foot sphere was floating in the middle of the stadium.  
  
Tidus departed back into the locker rooms and met a very subdued team. "What's the matter?" he asked them.  
"Cap'n Wakka's at the match-up draws," Botta said glumly.  
"So?"  
"We had to play da Goers last year. and the year before that. and the year before that."  
Just then, Wakka burst into the room, wearing what appeared to be a forced grin.  
"Well, boys. We're playin' the Goers."  
The team just sat and stared at him.  
  
The stairs to the seats in the stadium were crowded, but one man seemed to be making his way though the people effortlessly. the exact same way he had cut through the crowd on the bridge that Friday night in Chicago. His coattails and sleeve waved gently in the breeze.  
Auron had come to watch Tidus play Blitzball.  
  
Wakka was leading the team down a tunnel that extended from the locker rooms towards the stadium. "Nervous?" he asked Tidus.  
"Yeah," Tidus said.  
A red door could now be seen at the end of the tunnel. Wakka turned to the team.  
"OK, boys. I know we can do this because of those old game spheres we watched, so. let's do this thing!"  
"Yeah!" yelled the Aurochs.  
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled. The team ran flat out for the door, which opened into the dome of water.  
Tidus stopped dead, and watched in amazement as each player jumped into the water-like substance headfirst and swam away. Wakka turned back and yelled, "C'mon!"  
Tidus hesitated. He touched the watery surface, took a deep breath, and walked in.  
It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt. It was like stepping off of a cliff and never falling. Something else also surprised him: he could breath.  
Wakka was motioning for him to come up and join the team in the center of the sphere. Tidus swam towards them.  
"OK boys," Wakka said, "We got seven and only six can play-I'm warmin' the bench."  
The Aurochs and Tidus gasped.  
"Don't worry-Dis guy's a star player. Learned pretty quick, too. Just do what he says, and we'll do fine.OK?"  
There were murmurs of agreement.  
"I'll come back out in da second half, OK? Until then. Good luck."  
Wakka turned and went back down towards the locker rooms. As this was happening, the Goers made their way into the sphere.  
Bickson, the captain, swam right up to Tidus. "Good luck," he sneered. "You'll need it."  
Tidus just looked at him, unable to come up with a comeback. Bickson and he just floated facing each other, when suddenly, panels of what appeared to be light appeared under the starting positions-two "V"s pointing at each other. Everyone was now standing on these-Tidus followed suit.  
"I'm gonna ram right through you, Auroch!" Bickson yelled at Tidus, a manic smile on his face.  
"OK. But Bickson. You might want to lead with your left arm this time, since you throw with your right," Tidus said. Bickson looked at him quizzically.  
A buzzer sounded. Somewhere from the bottom of the sphere, the Blitzball had shot up to the players. Tidus and Bickson leaped, stretching for the ball.  
"And Bickson captures the ball off of the forward position, passes to teammate Balgerda, Balgerda to swims to the goal, stops, passes-OUCH-that had to hurt, tackled by Datto, Datto of the Besaid Aurochs-Datto to Jassu, Jassu to Letty, Letty to Botta-a triangular formation, never saw that before-Botta towards Goers Goalie Raudy-Raudy is ready for the shoot-Botta pulls his arm back-Whoa! What a fake-out! He passes to the new Aurochs team member, name of Tidus-Tidus filling in for Wakka-He's swimming like a shark in there-Oh, too bad, as the ball is taken by Abus of the Goers, passes to Graav, back to Abus-Abus got a face full there, as the ball is taken by Letty of the Aurochs-Letty to Tidus-Tidus to Jassu, long pass by Tidus-Jassu catches it-aims-JASSU SCORES!"  
Bobba the commentator had been keeping up with the action quite well. The Goers fans were booing, but the Aurochs hardly cared; they had scored first. The scoreboard now read AUROCHS: 1, GOERS: 0.  
"And goalie Raudy throws the ball back in to teammate Abus-No! Pass incomplete, intercepted by Auroch Tidus Scott! He swims to center sphere- just barely avoids a tackle from Bickson-turns-passes to Jassu-Pass incomplete, Jassu drops the ball, taken by Balgerda-to Graav-Graav evades all Auroch competition-he shoots-HE SCORES!"  
The Goers fans were now cheering, as though they had already won.  
"Keepa fires the ball in-Jassu with the ball-Jassu swimming towards the defensive players-Jassu to Letty-Letty zigzags and gets it to Tidus- Tidus to Botta-Botta back to Tidus, who now has a clear field-Tidus swims up to Raudy-shoots-DENIED!"  
Raudy had caught the ball flawlessly. As quickly as he had gotten it, he got rid of it, zinging it past Tidus' head.  
"Raudy puts it back in-Graav gets a hand on it, but doesn't catch it- Bickson gets it-tackled hard by defensive player Datto-Datto steals the ball-Bickson looks a little dazed, he didn't see that one coming-Datto takes it right up to Raudy, and-No! He handed it off to Letty! Letty with the ball, a long pass to Tidus-Tidus shoots-HE GETS IT!"  
The scoreboard read AUROCHS: 2, GOERS: 1. A buzzer sounded from somewhere.  
"And that marks the end of the first half, a terrific game so far, and what a feat for the Aurochs!"  
The Aurochs swam back to the locker room, where Wakka was waiting with a smile a mile wide.  
"You guys. I can't believe this. We could win this thing!" Wakka said, too happy for words. He turned to Tidus.  
"Man. You're great out there! You sure you don't know Blitz?"  
"I don't know what it is," Tidus said, shrugging.  
Datto was standing by the door, which was unfortunate, because it flew open, smacking him right in the face. Yuna and Lulu rushed in, followed by Kimarhi. At first, they couldn't understand why the team was rushing over to the door, hollering about Datto, until they saw them carry him out from behind the door, bleeding heavily. "Broken nose," Wakka grimaced, looking at his player. "He can't play like this."  
"I'm so sorry!" Yuna cried, horrified. "I had no idea he was standing there, I-I'm so sorry!"  
Wakka shook his head. His face was white. "Nothin' we coulda done. Damn."  
He looked at the team, his face set. "Botta. get him to the med center. Hurry though. Half-Time's almost up. I gotta tell the officials I'm playin' for Datto."  
He rushed off, followed by Botta, who was hoisting Datto through the hall.  
Yuna looked like she could cry. Tidus walked over to her.  
"Hey, don't worry about it. Datto'll be fine," he said, trying to cheer her up. She shook her head.  
"I should have knocked. I just wanted to tell you. Someone said they saw Sir Auron in the stadium."  
"What?"  
Wakka came back in at that moment, looking anxious. "All right, boys. Let's blitz!"  
The team trouped out of the locker room and into the sphere pool. The Goers were already there, waiting for them.  
Wakka relieved Tidus of center starting position, and Tidus took Datto's spot on the far left. The ball shot up out of nowhere, and the game began again.  
"And the ball is in play-seized by Captain Wakka of the Aurochs-Wakka to Tidus-Tidus to Botta-Botta swims with it-Tackled hard by Balgerda, he drops it-the ball is claimed by Bickson of the Goers-WHOA! Tidus rockets out of nowhere, tackling Bickson so hard, he shoots clear out of the sphere!"  
Tidus had pulled out just in time, or else he would have gone right along with Bickson. Bickson was looking dazed, lying on the ground. A bunch of medics swarmed out of nowhere and gave him some kind of drink the made him feel better all of a sudden. He leapt back into the sphere, glaring at Tidus. He was given the ball, and the game started again.  
"Bickson takes off towards the goal-he's not stopping for anything- aims-shoots-Goalie Keepa leaps-diverts it-right into Graav's hands! Keppa's not fast enough-Graav shoots-HE SCORES!"  
Tidus groaned. They were tied at 2 to 2.  
"Keepa puts the ball back in-Wakka with the ball now, he swims towards center sphere-Balgerda comes in to tackle-Wakka dodges it, passes to Letty-Letty takes it over to the goal-he shoots-denied-he gets it back- shoot again-IT'S GOOD!"  
Now, more people were cheering on the Aurochs, namely the fans of other Blitzball teams. Wakka signaled for the team to meet him in center sphere.  
"Captain Wakka calls time out as we enter the last quarter of the game," Bobba the commentator announced.  
The Aurochs swam up to their coach, who was swelling with pride. "Zone defense, boys! And if you get the ball, shoot like crazy!"  
"Yeah!"  
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled, and the team flew into action.  
"Time-out over, the ball is put back into play by Raudy of the Goers- Graav with the ball-tackled hard by Letty, who steals it-Letty to Tidus- Tidus swims back to his side of the sphere! He avoids tackling from Bickson-Graav-25 seconds left-Tidus suddenly rockets forward-20 seconds now- Tidus stops, passes to Wakka-Wakka to Botta-Botta keeps it-12 seconds-10-9- 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-THE AUROCHS WIN THE SEASON OPENING TOURNAMENT!"  
Five blurs came pelting out of nowhere and slammed into Botta. The Aurochs hugged and cheered and gave high fives and let it all hang out. The people in the stands were completely silent. The five die-hard fans suddenly burst into chant, and soon, nearly the whole stadium was screaming "Aurochs, Aurochs, Aurochs yeah!"  
They had done it, after twenty years of trying. Tidus swam off to the side to let the team celebrate; it was, after all, their victory. He had joined last, so he watched the team celebrate.  
A sobbing Wakka swam to the top of the sphere and flipped over to float on his back. He had a smile a mile wide on his face. Nothing, nothing in the world could change his mood now. 


	10. Chapter 10

~Chapter 10~  
  
Wakka lazily turned his head to the left and saw Tidus swimming towards him. He grinned, and gave Tidus a thumb's up. Something suddenly swam past him, and rather quickly.  
Tidus stopped, and yelled, "Sinspawn!"  
They were all over the sphere: huge, dangerous looking fish-like creatures. Wakka's eyes widened in shock. "Quick-we gotta get back to the locker room!"  
The Goers had already bailed; Jassu was the last Auroch besides Tidus and Wakka to pass through the opening. The two swam like eels and managed to make it back to the locker room, wheezing and out of breath. Wakka had already opened his locker, as well as Tidus'. "Hey," he said to Tidus, and tossed him the sword. He grabbed his Blitzball and said, "Let's go."  
  
Panic had completely taken over the stands. Giant bird-like creatures and dragons as large as horses were stalking the crowd. Everyone was running. except for one person.  
Auron simply stood there, watching the people run past him. The dragon came stumping around the corner, spotted him, and growled. He smiled, and readjusted the huge sword over his right shoulder. He freed his left arm, widened his stance and stared the dragon right in the eye. Then, quicker than lightning, he lunged forward, bring the gigantic sword down on the creature's neck, severing its head and killing it. It exploded in an array of brightly colored lights, and just as Auron started to walk forward, Tidus and Wakka exploded from the locker room entrance.  
"Auron!" They both yelled.  
Tidus looked at Wakka. "You know him?" he asked in bewilderment.  
Wakka nodded. "Sure. Best Guardian there ever was."  
Tidus started to approach Auron at a walk, but suddenly, another dragon like creature appeared at their right, a wolf like creature was flanking their left, and a huge flying dinosaur-looking thing was hovering above them. The three of them stood back-to-back-to-back, facing their adversaries with shaky determination.  
  
Up in the top box, there was little activity. Grand Maester Mika had been taken into safe hiding, and as of yet, the only person on the balcony was Maester Seymour.  
Seymour surveyed the scene below with an expression of amusement playing at his face. He sighed, raised both arms into the sky, and began chanting under his breath. Suddenly, a black circle formed above him, and from this circle, a gigantic anchor shoot into the ground. Instead of making a crater, it seemed to be melding with it instead, causing the same black hole effect in the ground as in the sky.  
The chain attached to the anchor suddenly reversed, pulling itself and an ugly, towering creature out of the ground.  
The creature looked like it had risen from the lowest pit of Hell. It had long, thin arms-four, in fact. Two were crossed across the creature's chest; the others were holding the tight chains that bound it all together. These chains kept the creature from moving at all. It had the top half of its head wrapped in what looked like linen, with an eye hole cut for the right eye, which was apparently crying blood. The rest of its face was a huge hole filled with fanged teeth.  
Seymour pointed to this creature, and then to the stadium before them both. At once, blood tears began leaking from the creature's eye at it shouted out in agony. The bird that had been floating over Tidus, Auron, and Wakka suddenly exploded into multi-colored light.  
Again the creature cried out, and again, a fiend was destroyed. So went this strange ritual, until all the fiends in the stadium were desecrated, leaving the people dumbfounded, and Seymour grinning wider than ever. He placed his hands in front of his chest and bowed, and as he did so, the creature before him vanished.  
  
"Astonishing. Simply astonishing," Lulu was muttering to herself later. She, Yuna, and Kimarhi were all standing on a balcony that overlooked most of the city's main circle. Lulu and Kimarhi had done an excellent job of hustling Yuna out of the stadium and into the safety of the city streets.  
Suddenly, Wakka emerged from the stairway leading back down to the city. "Sorry I'm late," he said, "I was sayin' good-bye to da team."  
"Oh, Wakka! You don't have to apologize for that!" Yuna said, smiling. She suddenly looked around. "Where's Tidus?" she asked.  
"He followed Sir Auron out of the stadium-" Wakka started, but Yuna cut him off.  
"Sir Auron? You saw him?"  
"Yeah. He was fightin' the fiends with us. Tidus went after him after Maester Seymour called back his Aeon."  
"That thing. It didn't look like any Aeon I've ever heard of." Lulu said.  
"At least Maester Mika is safe," Yuna said, voicing the general idea on everyone's mind. She glanced down at the city, wandering where Tidus was, and what he was doing.  
  
Dock 4 was the only dock that didn't have a boat, but it was filled with crates and oddments that hadn't been unpacked or shipped out yet. It was here that one could find Tidus, who had followed Auron out of the stadium.  
"Hey!" Tidus yelled at his mentor, who kept his back turned. "Hey!" Tidus said again, this time grabbing Auron's shoulder and whipping him around so he could speak to his face.  
"Don't you run away from me! All of this-being in Spira, being sucked up by Sin, it's all your fault, all of it!"  
Auron simply stared at him. Tidus let him go, and he once again turned around.  
"You knew my old man," Tidus said.  
"Yeah," Auron responded.  
"And you knew Yuna's father, too," Tidus growled.  
"That's correct."  
".That's impossible! It can't have happened like that!"  
"There's nothing 'impossible' about it. Ten years ago, Braska, Jecht, and I defeated Sin. Then I came to Chicago, where I could watch over you."  
Tidus looked at Auron. "Why?"  
"Jecht asked me to."  
"Is he still alive?"  
Auron finally turned, casting a dark look at Tidus. "That depends on what you mean by "being alive." But then, I felt something of him, that night in Chicago. Especially around Sin itself."  
It took Tidus a few seconds to register what Auron was saying. When he finally did, it felt as though someone had just punched him in the stomach. "No. It can't be."  
"It is. Jecht is Sin," Auron said. He said it in a flat, nondescript tone.  
Tidus, still shell shocked, made his way over to a crate filled with Blitzball goal posts and quickly sat down, resting against it. Auron turned to watch this, before he turned back to face the blue sea. After a while, Tidus spoke.  
"Auron," he said in a small, helpless voice.  
".Yes?"  
"Will I ever get back to Chicago?"  
Auron worded his answer carefully. If he said anything too straightforward, Tidus would only be angry with him later. "That's up to Jecht," he said finally.  
Tidus thumped his head against the wooden crate. "What're you gonna do?" he asked his mentor.  
"I am going to offer my services as a Guardian to Yuna. It would be wise of you to follow my lead."  
"Why?"  
"Do you wish to know the connection between Yuna, you, and me?"  
"I already know that."  
"But you do not know how. And I can assure you that that is the greatest part of the puzzle, one that I myself am still trying to piece together. Unlike you, however, I have a better grip on the situation at hand. I believe that all the pieces will fall into place when all involved are united. So, come-unless you wish to remain here as a nameless lad claiming to come from Zanarkand."  
Tidus looked up sharply. "You haven't said that word in a long time," Tidus said, referring to the time in his life when Auron first showed up, and kept calling Chicago "Zanarkand".  
"Indeed." Auron said. He brushed past Tidus and stepped off of the dock. However, Tidus knew Auron. He didn't want to talk about this "Zanarkand"-and Tidus was very interested to know why.  
  
"They sure are taking a long time," Lulu huffed, pacing in front of Yuna and Wakka. "I hope they're not just wasting time."  
"I can assure you we are doing nothing of the sort," a deep voice said.  
He appeared at the head of the stairs: Sir Auron. He seemed to radiate a certain command for respect, though he seemed indifferent to it. He walked with a sure steady step, and he was powerfully built; they could hardly see the glum Tidus shuffling along behind him.  
"I have come to offer my services as a Guardian to you. Do you accept?"  
Yuna was nearly speechless. "Why?"  
"I promised Braska I would."  
"You told my father..?"  
"Do you not accept?"  
"Oh no," Yuna said quickly. "We would be honored to have you with us, Sir Auron."  
"And," Auron continued, "he comes, too." With that, Auron pushed Tidus in front of him, so he could face the crowd. "Uh. Hi guys."  
"I promised Jecht I would watch over him as well."  
"Is he still alive?" Yuna asked excitedly.  
"Can't say. I haven't seen him in ten years."  
Tidus sent Auron a sharp look, and saw that he was beckoning for him to come over.  
"Why didn't you tell Yuna?" Tidus asked.  
"I will tell her when the time is right," Auron responded, gazing out at the city. "What about me?" Tidus asked again.  
"Keep to the same story; you're under the effect of Sin's toxin, and you don't remember where you come from, but you think you live in Zanarkand."  
"What's the whole big deal with this 'Zanarkand' place, anyway? I mean, its just Chicago-"  
"I know its Chicago. You know its Chicago. Know one else does, or will believe a place like that ever existed. The Al Bhed discovered the ruins first; they were the first to refer to it as Zanarkand, since Yevon denounced the word 'Chicago' as an Al Bhed word."  
"So what's the deal with the Al Bhed? Why doesn't Yevon like them?"  
"They use machines to do their work. 'Machina' is what they call it. And, according to the teachings, Sin first appeared 1,000 years ago and destroyed the machina cities-Chicago along with them. That's the puzzling part, though-for if our Zanarkand is your Chicago, then are you in a different world, or merely a different time?"  
"Anyway, the first Summoner Spira had made her journey to the Zanarkand ruins to defeat Sin. Again, the teachings say that Zanarkand is a holy place, so that is where the final showdown took place. However, Sin came back.and it kept coming back."  
"So Yuna's going to Zanarkand to defeat Sin."  
"Correct." "Like her father.and my dad.and you."  
Auron bowed his head. "Yes. This is what troubles me the most."  
"Why?"  
Auron changed the subject. He nodded at Yuna. "Go to her. You two have more in common then you will ever realize."  
  
Yuna stood over the balcony overlooking the city, just standing and thinking. Suddenly, she saw Tidus standing next to her. "Hi," he said, scratching the back of his head.  
"Hello," Yuna said back.  
For a while the two said nothing. Tidus looked around. "Ya know, I feel like my head's about to explode."  
Yuna looked at him. "Um. What?"  
Tidus quickly shook his head, remembering that Auron had told him to stick to the story. "Nothing," he said. Yuna smiled.  
"Hey," Tidus said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but how do you always manage to smile? Even when you're surrounded by death and destruction, you always squeeze out a smile."  
"It is hard," Yuna said, "but I must be like a light in Spira. I carry all the hopes of all the people. I cannot show them that I am sad, or upset."  
"Sounds like tough work."  
"It is," she said. Then, brightening, she said, "OK. Now you try!"  
"What?" Tidus asked.  
"Try smiling, even though you feel sad. Come one. you can do it."  
Tidus tried to be sad and smile, resulting in a grimace that looked like he had to smell something unpleasant. Yuna burst out laughing, something that Tidus followed in, smiling for real this time.  
"Good," Yuna laughed, "Now I can teach you how to laugh."  
"What?" Tidus asked, still chuckling.  
"Just laugh. You'll see."  
Tidus looked out at the city below him. He put both hands on his hips, and bellowed:  
"HA HA HA HA HA!"  
It wasn't a laugh so much as it was a toneless yell, but he repeated it just the same.  
"HA HA HA HA HA!"  
Tidus took a deep breath and started to do it again, but noticed that Yuna had also put her hands on her hips, and was ready to bellow with him.  
"HA HA HA HA HA!" They both yelled, and the ridiculousness of it all made them burst out laughing again, pointing at each other, and laughing again. They turned, and saw everyone just staring at them. "What?" Tidus asked.  
"We just wanted to make sure you two hadn't gone crazy or somethin'," Wakka said.  
"Oh."  
"Let's get going," Auron said.  
"Where are we going?" Tidus asked.  
"The temple at D'Jose. We will travel there by taking the Mi'hen Highroad."  
"OK," Tidus said, "then let's go!" 


	11. Chapter 11

~Chapter 11~  
  
Auron led the Summoner party back into Luca and took them to a long, tall staircase leading north out of the city. Tidus was walking near to him. "Did you take this route last time?"  
"Yes," Auron said shortly. It seemed as though he didn't want to discuss the past while in the company of the others, especially Yuna, who made it a point to stay near to him.  
The group climbed the stairs and emerged, not in a city environment, but instead on a dirt road that stretched further than the eye could see. The group took a short time to look at the trek ahead.  
"We won't make D'Jose in one day," Auron said, stating the obvious. "There is an Inn about halfway down to Mushroom Rock Road. We will stop there when we arrive there." With that, he turned and started to walk down the Highroad. The others shrugged and followed.  
The Highroad was easily the most boring part of Spira in Tidus' mind. They walked, and walked, and walked, but the road seemed to be like a treadmill; they seemed to be moving nowhere.  
It was Wakka who felt it first: a steady, repeating thump that sounded through the ground. It got louder and louder, which meant it was drawing closer.  
"What is that?" Tidus asked apprehensively.  
Suddenly, over a small hill in front of the group, large, yellow- feather ostrich-like creatures appeared, three to be exact, each carrying a person on its back. When the people saw the Summoner party, they stopped, and formed a triangular formation, which gave Tidus the distinct impression that this was some sort of military-or something of the sort.  
The woman at the head of the formation spoke from the back of the great bird. "Greetings, Summoner," she said. "I am Lucille, the Commander of the Chocobo Knights, in charge of guarding the Mi'hen Highroad. Please be careful-we have been tracking a fiend that has a taste for Chocobos. Please be careful if you are to rent any."  
She said this all very quickly, as though she didn't want to be here. Tidus also noticed that birds were very fidgety the longer they stood still. Perhaps their masters had some things in common with their steeds.  
Suddenly, Tidus was brought back to Earth by the pounding of the Chocobo's feet; they had gone, leaving the Summoner party in a cloud of dust. "A fiend that eats Chocobos." Tidus said, his hands behind his head.  
"What of it?" Auron asked.  
"We should go get it!"  
"Why?"  
"It's the right thing to do!"  
Auron chuckled and Tidus frowned. "What'd I say now?" Tidus asked.  
"Nothing," Auron said, still chuckling. "It's just that Jecht used to say that a lot, too." He started to walk away, but he turned and said, with a hint of humor, "And every time he did, it always meant trouble for Braska and I."  
  
The sun was rapidly going down as the Summoner party came into view of the Inn. "We rest here tonight," Auron said.  
"No way," Wakka said flatly. "That's an Al Bhed place. I don't stay in any Al Bhed place."  
He said it like it was a curse-word, and Tidus thought back to what Auron had told him. Perhaps Wakka was prejudiced.  
"We need the rest," Auron said, and Tidus knew his tone; Auron didn't like disagreements.  
"I'm not tired!" Wakka said defiantly.  
"I am," Auron said in a dangerous voice that indicated the conversation was over. He walked over to the Inn's door and stepped in, which, for some reason, seemed to irritate Wakka. Lulu and Kimarhi remained silent (it wasn't a very far stretch for Kimarhi) and Yuna seemed perfectly fine with the Inn. Tidus was rather sleepy as well, and hungry, so he followed the others inside and privately felt glad that Auron was such a badass.  
  
The sun was just sitting on the horizon when Tidus reemerged from the Inn. He looked at the sunset and gasped. "Oh, wow."  
He saw Yuna sitting alone on the bluff over looking the ocean in front of the Inn and decided to join her. "Watcha up to?" he asked her. She turned abruptly and saw him, and quickly stuffed something into the folds of her dress. Tidus didn't see this, and mistook her startled surprise. He stopped, but without words she beckoned him forward and he sat on the grass next to her.  
The two of them just sat on the bluff and watched the sun for a while, until Yuna finally spoke. "I am nervous about the journey from here on out. I here the road up ahead has many fiends on the trail."  
"We'll be fine," Tidus assured her. "We've got Auron, after all."  
Tidus' thought drifted away and he found them landing on Seymour. "What do you know about that Seymour guy?" he asked Yuna.  
"I really don't know that much about him," Yuna said, frowning. "Why?"  
"Nothing. He just. He's kind of creepy, is all."  
"Oh," Yuna said. The two were silent for a bit longer before Yuna said, "You know, someday, we are going to Zanarkand."  
Tidus looked at her.  
"All the pilgrimages end there. There must be a powerful Aeon in the temple there at Zanarkand. My father. Sir Auron."  
"What happened to your dad? Is he still in Zanarkand?"  
"No," Yuna said quietly. "He is not in Zanarkand anymore."  
"What happened to him?"  
Yuna hesitated. "I am not sure," she said at last. Tidus decided not to pester her about it.  
"When my father defeated Sin," Yuna started, "there was a huge celebration in Bevelle. All of the streets were flooded with people. Everyone was happy. I was lost. I couldn't find my father. And then."  
Yuna fell silent, and turned around. Auron stood there, looking down at the two. "Time for bed, Yuna," he said in an almost paternal way. Yuna stood, and walked away from the two. Tidus looked at Auron.  
"Our journey to Zanarkand begins," mused Auron. "So now you know."  
"Know what?" Tidus asked.  
"A small extent of what you are now involved in. Much will be revealed later."  
"Will you just give me a straight answer?" Tidus asked angrily.  
"Good night," Auron said, and walked back to the Inn, leaving Tidus alone.  
  
Tidus awoke the next morning, fully refreshed and ready to face the new day. He walked out into the main hallway and looked around. Lulu was reading a heavy volume, Wakka was loudly chatting with several non-Al Bhed patrons about Blitzball, and Auron just sat and gazed, occasionally looking around to make sure everything was still in order. Kimarhi was standing at the entrance to Yuna's room down the hallway-she hadn't come out yet.  
Suddenly, a man bumped into Tidus. Looking around, Tidus saw a young man, early thirties at least facing him. "Fredaula toak," he said.  
"Oh," Tidus said, realizing he must be an Al Bhed, "I'm sorry, I don't understand."  
"I said, excuse me," the man said again, through what Tidus thought was a heavy French accent. At first, Tidus thought he was offended, but the man smiled and held out his hand. "I am Rin. I own this establishment. Hali do saud qui. It means, nice to meet you."  
"Oh, in that case, helly do sad we to you too," Tidus said, also smiling, and shaking the man's hand.  
"I run several Inns and shops throughout Spira, although business has been a bit lacking in the traveling area and, unfortunately, booming the medical and supplies area. It is a sad bit of circumstances. So tell me, young friend-where are you from?"  
"Luca," Tidus said with no hesitation. Auron slightly relaxed, having been listening. Rin brightened.  
"Ah, yes, I recognize you now! You played as a replacement player for the Besaid Aurochs, did you not?"  
"That's me."  
"You play quite a game. Now, normally, I root for the Al Bhed Pshycs, but this year, I had a feeling about the Aurochs."  
Suddenly, the door burst open and a young girl ran in. "Mr. Rin!" she cried. "That thing that's been eating the Chocobos. Its back!"  
Auron and Tidus looked at each other. "That's our cue," Auron said, standing up. Lulu looked up over her book at him.  
"What do you mean, that's our cue?"  
"Tidus said we should stop whatever is killing the Chocobos. Take it up with him." With that, Auron swept out of the Inn.  
"We haven't got time to slay monsters that eat giant birds!" Lulu said to Tidus scathingly.  
"I got plenty of time," Wakka said, and he rushed out after Auron.  
Lulu watched him go and sent a dark look at Tidus. Tidus turned to Kimarhi and yelled down the hall:  
"Keep her in here! We'll be right back!"  
Kimarhi nodded and resumed his watch. Tidus ran back to his room and came back with his water-like sword. "Coming?" he asked Lulu, who resignedly put her book down and followed him out of the Inn.  
Outside, Auron and Wakka stood facing a large, squat creature, with a wide gaping mouth, two-yes, two tongues-and long, muscular arms that were longer than its entire body. It had its mean little eyes on the two men in front of it, and it had a Chocobo in its grasp.  
Tidus stopped next to Auron, who was standing with his huge sword swung over his shoulder, like before. "What do we do?" Tidus asked his mentor.  
"We can go about this in one of two ways: we can straight out kill it, or we can knock it over the bluff."  
"Which is easier?"  
"The second, I'd say."  
"Everyone!" Tidus yelled. "Knock it over the edge!"  
The three men rushed forward while Lulu stood back, muttering under her breath and forming rings of fire, ice, lightning, and water around her body. After Tidus, Auron, and Wakka attacked, the four rings of magic shot forward and hit the creature right in its face. Stunned, the creature stepped back and dropped the Chocobo.  
"Again!" Tidus yelled. They again charged the creature, but it swung its long arm and knocked all three of them a good yard and a half away. Tidus scrambled to get to his feet, because the creature was no longer interested in the Chocobos; it wanted the Guardians instead. And it was racing right at Tidus.  
"Oh, Hell," Tidus said. 


	12. Chapter 12

~Chapter 12~  
  
Tidus found his feet and his feet found the ground. He leapt up, but not quick enough; the creature hit him again, sending him flying. Wakka had managed to get to his feet, and after aiming carefully, he threw his Blitzball at the creature with the force of a cannon ball. It hit the creature in the back of the head and distracted it from Tidus, who was dangerously near the bluff himself, and muttering dazedly. Lulu rushed over to help him up to his feet before he rolled over.  
The creature blinked stupidly, looking around for what had hit it, when a huge silver blade sliced it down the middle of its face. Auron was back, and he was hacking at the creature in front of him as hard as he could. He got in three good hits before the thing knocked him away with a mighty swing of its arm, dazing him slightly.  
The Guardians were regrouping, but now the creature had the advantage; they were on the bluff now. The creature had its back to the Inn, so it didn't notice when Yuna rushed out, followed by Kimarhi.  
"No, go back inside!" Wakka yelled.  
"Yuna! Do it now!" Auron bellowed.  
"Whattsiz?" asked Tidus, still dazed.  
Yuna wasn't listening. She stepped forward, almost right behind the creature, but Kimarhi didn't follow; instead, he just watched her.  
Auron suddenly realized: "She's Summoning!"  
At these words, Tidus, still thoroughly dazed, sat up. He wanted to watch this-she was summoning an Aeon.  
They sky turned dark above their heads. For one wild moment, Tidus thought that she was summoning the Aeon Seymour had Summoned at the Blitzball tournament, but it wasn't; the ground cracked and split, and suddenly, Yuna was launched sky-high as a pillar of earth shot out of the ground, containing in its middle a horned, doglike creature, with a muscular body, and colored deep orange and red.  
"Ifrit," Auron murmured, watching in amazement.  
Ifrit broke out of his confinement, and caught Yuna. It gently put her on its shoulder, and descended back to Earth as gently as a feather. When it reached the ground, Yuna hopped off of the shoulder, and it gave a mighty, resounding roar, its breath filled with flames.  
Tidus was aware of things enough to think, Whoa.  
As quickly as everything had occurred, things went back to normal-the hole in the ground was gone and the sky was blue again. Yuna stood behind Ifrit and stared at the Chocobo Eater, who had finally turned its attention from the Guardians to what was going on behind it. It stared at Ifrit and Ifrit stared at it, and suddenly, Ifrit was all over the Chocobo Eater. A furious fight ensued, in which the Hellish Ifrit clawed, bit and slashed every bit of the Chocobo Eater it could. It suddenly leapt away, glared at the opposing creature, and the sky turned dark again. A huge ball of fire energy appeared in front of Ifrit, and it reached one of its mighty arms up to it and hit it as hard as it could, straight at the Chocobo Eater. It hit the foul creature full force, and sent it tumbling backwards, towards the bluff-and the Guardians.  
"Move!" Auron yelled, and everyone did so; even Tidus had his wits enough to move. The Chocobo Eater stumbled one too many steps and went falling backwards over the bluff, falling to what they were all sure was a very bad fate.  
"Whoa. That was, like, cool," Tidus said, still loopy.  
  
"He should be fine. He hit his head fairly hard, and that bluff is pure rock."  
Rin was standing over Tidus, looking down at him. The rest of the group was also gathered around him. Rin was holding a bottle of something green.  
"This is a potion that should revive him instantly. If you'll allow me too-"  
"How much?" Auron interrupted.  
"Free of charge, of course, for your efforts to keep my Chocobo stock safe.  
Tidus opened his eyes, looking at the ring of people around him. He saw the potion in Rin's hand, and decided that maybe he could recover without it.  
"Hey, guys."  
They all looked down as Tidus was sitting up.  
"Are you OK?" Yuna asked, kneeling next to him.  
"I'm fine," Tidus said, "I just got a little out of it, that's all." "You fell unconscious," Lulu said in a strange voice. Was she concerned?  
"I've been hit harder," Tidus said lightly, slowly getting to his feet. Auron snorted.  
"By what, I can't imagine," he said.  
Tidus sent him a look. He shook his head.  
"Well, what do we do now?"  
"We continue onto to D'Jose," Auron answered. "We leave now."  
Everyone was surprised by Auron's abrupt departure plan except Rin, it seemed. "Well, then," he said, "I hope you have a safe journey, Summoner. My and all of Spira's prayers are with you."  
"Thank you," Yuna said, bowing, which Rin returned. They all started to leave when Rin called out to Tidus:  
"Sir! It has been hali do saud qui."  
"And you as well," Tidus said, thinking that he might try to learn the Al Bhed language for later use. He looked around one last time at the Inn before he walked out the door.  
  
Back on the Highroad, the going got slow again. The group was talking earlier on, but now, they were all silent, not finding anything worth talking about. They came to a fork in the road and paused, but Auron marched confidently to the left, so they followed him, and promptly ended up at a section of the road that was barricaded by a heavy metal gate, and guarded by two men whom Tidus was sure he had seen somewhere before. Suddenly, one of them, spotting the approaching Summoner party, waved and called, "Hey, Wakka! Way to go at the tournament!"  
"Thanks, Gatta!" Wakka called back. Tidus was still drawing a blank. Wakka looked at him, smiling.  
"Luzzu and Gatta, from Besaid-remember? They're Crusaders!"  
Tidus' memory came flying back. The two men they had seen before entering the village were the Crusaders.  
"Hey, guys," Wakka said as he approached the two men. "What're you up to? They got you guardin' somethin', or are you just standin' around?"  
Luzzu smiled. "We're guarding something, Wakka. Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to pass at the moment."  
"Why not?" Tidus asked.  
"We have. An operation going on further down the road. When we're done, we'll notify travelers," Luzzu said. He sounded like he had recited this a lot throughout the day.  
"We cannot wait," Auron said, looking Luzzu right in the eye.  
"Please take the detour at Mushroom Rock Road-" Gatta started, but Auron cut him off.  
"That would mean we'd have to turn around and head right back to where we came from. That's half a day, wasted. This is a Summoner-let her through, for Yevon's sake."  
Luzzu and Gatta shrank slightly from this, but still held their ground.  
"I'm sorry, but no one is permitted beyond this point," Gatta said.  
Tidus expected Auron to try harder to get past the two men, but instead he said "Well I guess we'll have to find another way to D'Jose. Heaven forbid that a SUMMONER doesn't complete her journey on schedule."  
He turned to the others and brushed past them, leaving the gated area. The Summoner party followed him until he stopped and said in a low growl, "I don't give a damn over who they are, and they cannot stop us. I'll find a way through that gate."  
"Perhaps I could be of assistance," a soft voice called. The group turned and saw none other than Maester Seymour walking towards them. 


	13. Chapter 13

~Chapter 13~  
  
Maester Seymour Guado walked very quickly, followed by two Guado guards. He approached the Summoner Party and stopped in front of Yuna, bowing deeply. "Greetings," he said in that same soft, chilling voice. "I see you cannot get through this gate."  
"No. We can't," Auron, and Tidus was sure he heard a hint of sarcasm.  
Seymour either didn't notice or didn't care. "Don't worry. I'll get you through. I need to be present at the command center anyhow." He trailed off, and walked over to Luzzu and Gatta, who were bowing deeply at him. Tidus was watching Auron, who seemed irritable; the Crusaders couldn't have made him that angry, could they?  
Seymour conversed with the Crusaders, and then bowed, and waved the Summoner party forward. Yuna started to rush forward, but Auron swiftly stood in front of her, followed by Tidus.  
"What's the deal?" Tidus asked.  
"What do you mean?" Auron asked him.  
"Don't give me that cryptic crap," Tidus said flatly, "just tell me what's going on."  
Auron didn't respond. Tidus rolled his eyes and Auron finally said, "All is not well here."  
Tidus dropped the subject as the group rounded a bend in the road and dirt abruptly turned to stone. Now, they were on treacherous cliffs that went straight down and met the crashing waves of the ocean. Several people were walking around as the party followed Seymour, including Crusaders, priests, and-  
"Al Bhed!" Wakka said in angry surprise. "Why are there Al Bhed here?"  
Two of the Al Bhed walked past the group carry what Tidus recognized as a cannon that Army planes carried from Chicago. He almost said something but held himself back, choosing to remain silent. What was going on here?  
"You!" Wakka said, grabbing a Crusader. "What's going on here?"  
"We're in a joint operation with the Al Bhed to form an attack against Sin," he said. He motioned for them to follow him so he could continue on his way. "As you know, when Sin attacks, it drops Sinspawn from its body. Left alone, those Sinspawn will eventually call out to Sin to come and get them. We've taken advantage of that with this operation," he said, and rounding the corner, the Summoner party was astonished to see Sinspawn of all sizes, colors, and varying degrees of disgustingness all contained in heavy steel cages and guarded by Al Bhed with firearms. "We've been containing these creatures for over a year now, and now that we have a large enough number, and in containment, we can be assured that they will call out to Sin. We are simply using them as a lure."  
He continued on past the cages, leading the Summoner party further along the trail. "After we caught the creatures, we needed someway to attack Sin itself," he said. "We knew the Al Bhed had salvaged thousands of old machina weapons, so we approached them and asked if we could use them. They agreed, and also volunteered to help us with our cause. If you look further up the trail and cliff wall, you can see where they've set up the main cannons." He pointed up at the cliffs, and Tidus could just see the ends of the cannons sticking out from the rocks.  
"I have been told to direct you to the command center. Maester Seymour awaits your presence."  
The group walked along, taking in everything around them. "Why's Yevon lettin' 'em use machina?" Wakka asked. "Its against the teachings!"  
"Let them use whatever they want. They still won't beat it," Auron said in a low voice.  
"But how could Maester Seymour let this happen?" Wakka asked again.  
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Auron asked, nodding forward; the Maester was approaching the group. Seymour stepped up to them and surveyed them all, his eyes lingering on Auron.  
"Ah, Sir Auron," he said. "Quite a legend. Where have you been the last ten years?"  
"I've got nothing to say," Auron growled, intentionally bumping shoulders with the Maester as he stalked away from the group. He came to rest against the rock face a couple of paces away. "I.see," Seymour said slowly, as though this amused him somehow. Wakka timidly stepped forward.  
"Uhh. Begging your pardon, Maester, but why is your Grace presently." Wakka stumbled on his words, "present. Here, Sir?"  
Seymour smiled that same icy smile that Tidus knew from Luca. "Please, speak as you normally would," he said.  
"I just don't think its right to use Al Bhed's machina to defeat Sin, sir," Wakka blurted out. "Shouldn't you do something to stop them?"  
Seymour sighed. "Its true, I should. However, the Al Bhed possess weapons which can be used to fight, and possibly defeat Sin. It is a dream that is shared by the Crusaders and Al Bhed alike. This Operation Mi'hen was born from that dream. And as a Maester of Yevon, I will stand behind them and give them my full support."  
Wakka could hardly believe it. "But don't the teachings prohibit the machina's use?"  
"Pretend you didn't see them," Seymour said silkily. The group gasped.  
"Begging your pardon, but that's not something a Maester should say!" Wakka half-cried.  
Seymour smiled an evil, icy smile. "So pretend I didn't say it."  
Seymour walked away, leaving the Summoner party stunned. Auron rejoined them, and they continued on their way to the command center.  
"This is Mushroom Rock Road," Auron said to Tidus. "Long ago, the founder of the Crusaders, Lord Mi'hen, traveled this road looking for men and women who would join his cause. Yevon feared an uprising, and condemned the Crusaders as sacrilegious. Furious, Lord Mi'hen traveled in one day, on foot, all the way to Bevelle to face the charges and fight for his cause. After he argued his case, Grand Maester Kindo accepted them into the Yevon clergy, and made them not only a force to fight Sin, but also something like a law enforcement, like in Chicago." He said this last part in a low voice, so the others wouldn't hear.  
The group finally reached a rock wall that went straight up. Built into the side of the rock face was a large lift, and standing off to the side of the lift was none other than Luzzu and Gatta. They were apparently arguing about something.  
"But why only you, sir?" Gatta asked Luzzu.  
Luzzu shrugged. "You'll get your chance soon."  
"I'm not a cadet anymore, sir!" Gatta exclaimed.  
"Guarding the command center is important, too," Luzzu said, placing a hand on Gatta's shoulder.  
Gatta backed out of Luzzu's reach. "But I came all the way from Besaid to fight Sin as well, sir!" Gatta complained loudly.  
"I'm sorry. But the orders have been given. To your post, Crusader," Luzzu said in a forceful voice.  
Gatta sulked away, walking past the Summoner party and taking the lift up to the top of the rock face. Luzzu had his arms crossed and his head down, thinking. They walked over to him.  
"Hey," Tidus said when they got there. Luzzu looked up.  
"He deserves better," Luzzu said of Gatta.  
Wakka stepped forward, looking around. "Well, at least there's no chance he'll get hurt." He looked around at the Crusaders bustling about. "Why are you even here? Aren't the 'almighty Al Bhed machina' strong enough?"  
Luzzu sighed. "They still need some time to get them ready. Our job is to keep the seacoast clear until they are."  
Wakka stamped his foot and made a weird sound in his throat. He waved his hands in Luzzu's face and turned, crossing his arms; he was venting his frustration with his friend.  
"Wakka," Luzzu said in a heavy voice, "I might not get another chance to say this. Its about your brother."  
Lulu gasped, stepping forward. "No, Luzzu!"  
Luzzu spoke on. "It was I who convinced him to enlist," he told Wakka. "I'm sorry." He turned away from Wakka, looking at his feet.  
Wakka took this in, looking from the group to Luzzu, when he suddenly balled his fist and hit his old friend with everything he had. Luzzu went down hard, but Wakka was far from finished. He picked him up, and punched him again, but Tidus rushed forward and, grabbing the angry Blitzer around the middle, yelled, "That's enough, Wakka! Stop!"  
Wakka stopped struggling, and Tidus dragged him back a ways. Luzzu slowly got to his feet, and as he was, Wakka was yelling:  
"When we used to play Blitz together, Chappu and I, he used to tell me," Wakka looked at Lulu, "that after we won the Cup, he was gonna propose to Lulu."  
Lulu was standing behind Yuna, silently crying. Wakka continued his story.  
"Then, one day, out of nowhere, he joins the Crusaders. Just like that!" Wakka yelled, snapping his fingers. Luzzu stood, gingerly feeling his jaw.  
"Chappu also said," he started cautiously, "that being with your girl is good, but keeping Sin far away from her is better."  
Wakka looked from Luzzu to Lulu. "Lu. You knew?"  
Lulu nodded. "He told me right before we left Besaid."  
Luzzu chuckled. "She hit me, too."  
Lucille the Chocobo Knight suddenly appeared. "All Crusaders to their posts!" she called.  
Luzzu walked away. "That's my cue," he told them. "I'll see you in while, I hope."  
"Hey Luzzu!" Wakka called.  
Luzzu turned.  
"Don't die out there, man."  
"So you can hit me more?" Luzzu asked, humor in his voice.  
Wakka slowly smiled. "Lots more," he acknowledged, punching one hand into the other.  
Luzzu smiled, and walked away.  
  
The Summoner party took the lift up the rock face; Seymour still wanted them at the command center. As they stepped off of the lift, they saw all of the cannons now. Various Al Bhed men were hammering the anchors into the ground. Wakka, still visibly unpleased by the presence of machina, walked over to one and looked at it. "Curse these," he said, and without thinking, he kicked it. "OW!" he cried, holding his foot.  
"He really hates them, doesn't he?" Tidus asked Lulu.  
"Chappu. left the sword Wakka gave to him in Besaid. and fought with an Al Bhed machina weapon instead," Lulu said. Wakka overheard them.  
"That's got nothing to do with it! I just HATE these sacrilegious contraptions!"  
Wakka stumbled after the party as they made their way to the command center. While they walked, they saw the Crusaders preparing for battle, some on foot, and others on Chocobos. The Al Bhed teaching the Yevonites how to use the machina weapons. Some Crusaders were in a heavy steel cage, trying to herd fiends into the heavy cage that the rest were in. Wakka was still upset.  
"It won't work anyway," he finally said in exasperation.  
"Don't say that," Yuna said. "It might be hopeless. And it might mean defying Yevon. But these men and women are determined to help bring about the end of Sin. They want to see a world rid of Sin forever! And. Isn't that what we want also?"  
Wakka threw his arms into the air. "Alright, alright! Whatever! But I still think machina are bad news! They're forbidden for a reason!"  
The group continued on to the command center, which turned out to be a shabby, roofless tent. At the entrance, they found a very subdued Gatta.  
"The operation will begin shortly. Please make sure you have all of your equipment." he muttered as the Summoner party approached. "You OK?" Tidus asked. "Of course not! I came here to fight Sin-and they stick me here!" "If you want to prove yourself," Auron started, and Gatta fell silent, "first, you must complete the tasks you are given."  
Gatta looked away, and sulked off. The group rounded the folds of the tent and walked inside the command center.  
Inside was very little. There was a desk near the edges of the walls, and several ornate chairs. There was a map pinned up on an easel and plans that were written and drawn for a large machina weapon that the group couldn't see from here. In one of the ornate chairs, a fat, bald man sat, until he saw the Summoner party walk in. "Ah," he said upon seeing Auron. "I had heard from Seymour, but I didn't know you'd be here." He rose, and crossed to Auron and hugged him like a brother. "It's been ten years hasn't it?"  
"That's Wen Kinoc, one of the four Maesters of Yevon," Lulu whispered to Tidus. "He commands the Crusaders and Warrior Monks."  
"I was unaware that the standards of Yevon had decreased in only a decade," Auron frowned. Maester Kinoc smiled.  
"We really need to catch up, old friend. Where were you, the last ten years?" "Do we really have time for this?" Auron asked shortly. "You know this won't work. We'll just give them something to dream about a little longer," Maester Kinoc said, getting a very audible gasp from Yuna. Maester Seymour suddenly entered the tent, and Kinoc fell silent. Auron beckoned to Tidus, and, while the others looked at the machina plans and maps, they walked over to a shaded area where they could talk more privately. Auron had a look of disgust on his face.  
"That Kinoc, a Maester?" he asked, a little more loudly than Tidus had expected. Maester Kinoc smiled what Tidus recognized as one of those automatic smiles people have as he walked over to them. "I heard that, Auron. A lot has changed in the last ten years. Where were you, and what were you doing?"  
If Kinoc had wanted information, Auron didn't provide it. "Fulfilling a promise I made to an old friend. I still am," Auron said, making to walk past Kinoc and back to Yuna.  
"Just tell me one thing," Kinoc said in a harsh voice. "Have you seen Zanarkand?"  
Auron chuckled at this. "I've seen more than you will ever know, Kinoc," he muttered under his breath. Tidus, like an obedient puppy, followed his mentor across the base. A Crusader entered the command center, bowed to the Maesters, and said, "When you are ready, my Lords, we will begin the operation."  
"They're ready," Seymour said to Kinoc, in what seemed to be an amused voice.  
Kinoc nodded. "You may begin."  
"What do you plan to do?" Auron asked the Crusader.  
"Well, as you know, Sin inevitably returns for its spawn. Using that electrified cage," he said, pointing at the large cage, which was now being hung over the cliff, "we will encourage the creatures to call out to it."  
"You don't have to. It'll come," Auron said in a flat tone.  
As the group watched, the fence began to glow bright blue as electrical currents began flowing through it. The more electricity that went through it, the brighter it glowed, until it finally seemed to explode.  
Suddenly, something landed on one of the walls of the tent, and as the group locked eyes with the huge Sinspawn that stood in front of them, Tidus realized with a sickening feeling that the cage had exploded. 


	14. Chapter 14

~Chapter 14~  
  
The Crusaders were running everywhere trying to round the fiends and Sinspawn back up. The big one was standing in front of the Maesters and Summoner party, looking down at them with its mean little eyes.  
Auron surveyed the scene before him. "We cannot battle this creature; we have very little time."  
"What?" yelled Maester Kinoc. "Why not?"  
"Because you are a fool, Kinoc. You knew they'd call to Sin if they were agitated, and sure enough, they did. And now, they're loose. Did you really think you could contain them?!" Auron bellowed, and it felt like he was shaking the very ground beneath him.  
"Look!" Yuna yelled, pointing at the sea.  
"Showtime," Seymour said lazily. "Troops, be on your ready!"  
The sea was crashing back and forth; Auron recognized it at once.  
"Jecht is here," he whispered softly to Tidus.  
The sea fell away from the huge mass underneath it, revealing Sin in its full form. It towered over all of the cliffs as it rose out of the sea, seemingly taking in the scene around it. One thing was on its mind.  
Kill.  
  
"Fire!" The Commander yelled; his troops obliged by pulling the ripcords on the Al Bhed cannons, sending missiles soaring straight at Sin. The more hits it took, the less it seemed phased, and the only thing accomplished from the barrage of cannon fire was getting more Sinspawn to drop off of Sin's body. The water-going creatures charged to the beach, only to be met by the ground assault of Crusaders, Luzzu among them. They fought with swords rather than guns; these Sinspawn weren't hard to kill. But Sin was gathering energy; it radiated around it like a glowing bubble. Suddenly, like in Chicago, it started firing missile-like projections and seemed to be building a sphere of pure energy above its head.  
The missiles hit the Al Bhed and Crusaders hard; one flew right at the Summoner party in the command center. "Look out!" Auron yelled, making the others run. The missile missed them, but it scattered them as well. Tidus landed flat down on the beach, spread eagled, and passed out.  
  
The sphere of energy was finally released from Sin. It flew across the water and hit the sea line on the beach. Crusaders, Al Bhed, and Sinspawn alike were instantly annihilated, vaporized before they could do anything about it. Those further away from the initial attack suffered quite a bit more: limbs were torn off and bodies were mangled. Sin continued on to the other side of the beach, but it stopped, surprised by what it saw on the other side of the cliffs.  
It was a huge tower, with two prongs pointed at Sin itself. The Al Bhed man inside the tower was currently lining up crosshairs on a scope, marking the spot where the laser cannon would strike Sin. The around-100- man crew prepared the laser for fire, finally yelling at the marksman, "Fredic cuan sulla, semiche! Heda fut, qui!"  
The marksman checked his aim once more, and pressed a big blue button next to his seat.  
The tower's prongs exploded with laser energy, sending the searing, pulsing beams right at Sin. Sin, for its part, was quicker; it had created another sphere that it surrounded itself in. The beam hit this, and the Al Bhed in the tower watched, it was easily a beautiful and terrifying sight.  
Suddenly, Sin quickly lurched forward, causing the laser to backfire into the prongs. Energy overloaded beyond maximum capacity, and the tower exploded, killing every soul in it.  
Not far away, this explosion caused Yuna to regain consciousness, and as she watched, she saw the tower go up in flames. Seymour was there with her, as was Auron. Shocked, Yuna got quickly to her feet, watching the scene unfold before her in horror.  
  
Tidus awoke on the beach. A rancid smell met his nostrils, and as he stood, he saw the full extent of Sin's attack, causing him to fall back to his hands and knees, throwing up. He looked up, and got violently sick again, vomiting on the sand in front of him. When he was strong enough, he rose, and walked among the maimed bodies of unknown Crusaders and Al Bhed. Tidus saw very few whole bodies on the beach with him; mostly, they were ripped and torn apart. He finally stumbled over to the cliff face, where, to his surprise, he found someone alive.  
It was Gatta.  
"What's going on?" he asked hysterically, his hands over his head. He was crouching under an outcropping of rocks, trying to hide. "Why. WHAT'S GOING ON!?" His yell scared Tidus, who was silently crying, when suddenly, he felt a sensation of burning hatred. Jecht had done this. And as he watched, he, as Sin, was just now leaving.  
"NO!" Tidus yelled, running down the bloody beach to the water line. "DON'T YOU RUN FROM ME, YOU BASTARD!"  
He splashed into the water, swimming after the huge whale-like creature that was leaving the area.  
  
Yuna was hysterical. "Everybody. Stand back! I'll Summon!"  
"You can't beat it," Seymour said quietly. "You're not strong enough. Your powers are still too weak."  
Yuna wasn't listening. She was starting to twirl her staff.  
"You can't," Seymour said, in a forceful voice that scared Yuna. Teary eyed and shell shocked; she turned to Auron, who shook his head.  
  
Tidus was practically washed back onto the shore as he came out of the ocean, soaked and chilled to the bone. The rest of the group was already there, nursing various wounds, such as the large gash on Wakka's forehead or the nasty cut on Lulu's arm. Even Kimarhi was sporting a new scar on his chest. Yuna and Auron were bruised, but nothing else. Tidus had been the only one to escape injury from Sin, though his muscles ached from the attempted chase. Auron was talking to the Maesters, Yuna was dancing, performing the Sending ceremony, and Tidus sat and watched everything going on in front of him. "I hope you are satisfied," Auron said coldly to the Maesters. "Those who turned their backs on Yevon died, while the faithful lived on. So Kinoc, I ask you again: Are you happy with your results?"  
When Yuna finished the Sending, Seymour walked over to her, and said mournfully, "The people of Spira are depending heavily upon you to be a light in these troubled times. However, you may find that you need someone to, ah, lean on in times of need." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Lady Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength. As Lady Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."  
"Maester Seymour!" called Maester Kinoc. "We are leaving!"  
"Until next we meet, Lady Summoner," Seymour said, bowing deeply before her. He stood and followed Kinoc to a buggy pulled by Chocobos and stepped inside.  
Tidus looked up and saw Auron standing over him. "Many stories ended here today," Auron said heavily. "But yours goes on, I see."  
"What?"  
Auron shook his head. "You know very well 'what.'"  
Auron walked away, forcing Tidus to get up and follow him. He had, as usual, distanced himself from the rest of the group. He looked at Tidus.  
"Sin is Jecht," he said plainly.  
"Yeah, I know. I could almost feel him, but that doesn't mean I believe you," Tidus said, adding the last part quickly.  
"Sin is Jecht. He came here for you."  
"So he killed all those people just for a chance to see me?" Tidus asked in rage.  
"He wanted to show that to you," Auron said. "Do you know why?"  
"How am I supposed to know?" Tidus asked sharply.  
"So you would kill him."  
Tidus stared open mouthed. Auron sighed.  
"As long as he is Sin, he will keep killing. He wants you to stop him."  
"You gotta be kidding," Tidus said. "How do you know all of this, anyway?"  
Auron looked at him before turning to walk away. "I'm not done talking to you!" Tidus yelled. "Don't you run away!" "You're the one running," Auron answered coldly, continuing to walk away. The group saw this, and headed after him, leaving Tidus lost in his own thoughts. After a bit, he followed them, walking up a small, sandy hill past a sign that read, "Now leaving Mi'hen Highroad, entering D'Jose Highroad."  
As they walked, Tidus noticed that he wasn't the only one lagging behind; Kimarhi had fallen into step with him. Yuna turned and called to them, "C'mon, hurry up, you two!" in a cheery voice.  
"Boy, she's awfully cheerful," Tidus muttered. He then heard a deep voice next to him say:  
"In dark times, she must be. She must shine bright."  
Tidus gasped. Kimarhi was speaking.  
"Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard. "  
"We should help her, then," Tidus said.  
"If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown," he finished. He started to catch up to the others when Tidus called, "Don't worry, be happy?"  
Kimarhi turned. "Kimarhi tries hard, too."  
And he walked swiftly to Yuna, as did Tidus, and the Summoner party continued on their way. 


	15. Chapter 15

~Chapter 15~  
  
Tidus was lost in his own thoughts as the party traveled down the D'Jose Highroad. They passed priests, Al Bhed, and a few Crusaders who had survived the operation. Tidus also noticed that, although she was smiling, the light in Yuna's eyes had gone out, and her smile seemed very fragile. Auron even seemed grimmer than he usually was, as he led the group down the Highroad. Tidus sprinted lightly up the road to catch up to him.  
"Was it ever this bad. When you were with Yuna's father?" he asked.  
"Nothing of this magnitude ever happened. But yes," Auron said, "We played witness to many tragedies."  
The group continued in silence as they ventured down the road. They eventually came to a fork in the road, and Auron stopped, looking at the area around him. "How very familiar," he whispered to himself. He gazed around, a small smile playing at his lips, when he looked at the base of the wooden sign that had the words "D'Jose: left, Moonflow: right" written on it. He kneeled down and looked at a medium-sized rock that was sitting next to the wooden post. "It's still here," he marveled, looking at the stone. "Look."  
Tidus kneeled next to his mentor, looking at the rock. He could just barely see a crudely carved version of his father's stylized "J" etched in the surface.  
"What is it?" Yuna asked curiously as the two men got to their feet.  
"A memento, if you will. Jecht carved his insignia on that rock. To prove we'd been here."  
Auron chuckled. "I told him, 'It'll probably get stolen or wash away or roll away,' but he said, 'Nah, nothing will happen to it, Auron,' and he was right, after all."  
Thinking of Jecht only made Tidus pine for home even more. "How long until Zanarkand?" he asked. Wakka stepped forward.  
"Still a ways," Wakka answered, and Lulu said "First, we cross the Moonflow, and then we travel through the Guado city of Guadosalam."  
Yuna was already partially up the trail to D'Jose. "But first," she called in a sing-song voice that sounded a little forced, "we get to visit the temple at D'Jose!"  
"I don't suppose there's a way we could just skip all of that, is there?" Tidus asked glumly.  
"I must pray at all of the temples in order to receive the final Aeon," Yuna said.  
"I see," Tidus replied. The group started up the trail, until Auron, who hung back, called, "Hey, new guy-Tidus."  
"Yeah?" Tidus asked.  
"Don't tell Yuna that you know about Jecht."  
"I know, Auron," Tidus said, rolling his eyes.  
"There is a reason," he said reproachfully. "You know Yuna. She would-distance herself from us. And we don't want that."  
"You told me."  
"Yes, but Sin was nowhere around when I did. Better for you to find out then, instead of at a critical moment, where you would get emotional."  
"Me, emotional?" Tidus asked skeptically.  
Auron chuckled. "I heard you were quite the crybaby."  
"Hey Auron," Tidus called as Auron started to walk up to D'Jose, "how'd you get to Chicago?"  
Auron stopped dead. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Well," Tidus said doggedly, "I figured. If you show me how, maybe I could."  
"Go back home," Auron finished. "To what? Tidus, you have no idea how complicated this situation is. If you return to Chicago now, before we reach Zanarkand, you will return to a world with Sin, just the same as it is here. Remember, Sin appeared 1,000 years ago. On that particular Friday night, it seems. If you go back, you'll enter a world where Sin is just getting started destroying all that it can."  
"Wait! I thought 'Zanarkand' meant Chicago in Al Bhed. Is there a city there?" he asked excitedly. Auron shook his head.  
"All that is in Zanarkand are the ruins of a great city that Sin destroyed 1,000 years ago."  
Tidus stopped dead. "What? I mean, Wakka told me, but."  
"You'll see it for yourself, soon enough," Auron said, walking away.  
  
Tidus followed Auron into the small town of D'Jose, looking around at all of the open space it seemed to offer. Suddenly, the ground shook.  
"What the..?" Tidus asked in surprise.  
Auron continued on as though he hadn't felt anything. He walked up to the temple's front gates just as the rest of the group was apprehensively approaching the structure. It appeared that a rock face had grown over the front of the temple, and that was where the rumbling was coming from. As the group watched, the rock face suddenly shattered, and rose up off of the Temple, floating around it like the planets of the solar system, connected by lines of blue electricity.  
"Awesome," Tidus said, watching in awe.  
"The Electric Mushroom Rock. It only does that when there's another Summoner inside," Lulu told him.  
"Another Summoner?" Yuna asked, her joyfulness diminishing slightly.  
  
"What if it's Dona?" Tidus asked, making a face.  
"No matter," Auron said. He started to enter the temple, and the group followed, when Tidus suddenly heard crying. Looking around, he saw the crying person crouched on the ground, praying through his sniffles.  
"Gatta!" Tidus called, and sure enough, it was Gatta. Wakka ran over to him and almost threw himself on the ground next to him. "Where's Luzzu?" he asked.  
Gatta didn't reply.  
"Gatta," Wakka said slowly, "where is Luzzu, Gatta?"  
"I-I found him on the beach," Gatta cried, staring at Wakka with tear- soaked eyes. "He-he was ripped in half!"  
"Oh, no," Wakka said. "That-idiot!" Gatta broke down again and cried louder than before. "I should have listened to him," Gatta sobbed, "I should have listened."  
"I can't do this anymore," Gatta said, trembling violently. "I'm going back to Besaid. I. I just can't."  
"It's OK, brudda. It's OK," Wakka said, patting Gatta's back. "It's OK."  
  
It was quite some time later. Gatta, still in shock, eventually passed out from the memory of the operation. Kimarhi and Wakka carried him to the inn, and rejoined the Summoner party a short time later. Together, they all walked into the temple.  
This Temple's interior was just as grand as the others Tidus had seen thus far. It was stone, like the others, but it was painted a dull green, and lit by small floating orbs of the same blue electricity, giving the place a surreal appearance. Its only exceptional feature was the ornate staircase that led to the Fayth. As the Summoner party watched, the door opened, and out ran a little kid, followed by an older boy, followed by a young man. "Ah," he said upon seeing Yuna. "You are a Summoner, no?"  
"Yes. I am Yuna from the Island of Besaid," she responded.  
"Ah, yes. The daughter of Lord Braska," he said admirably. "Lord Braska is the reason I became a Summoner, so that one day, I could become a High Summoner just like him. But how rude of me!" he cried, bowing to her. "I am Isaaru, a Summoner from the Island of Kilika. And these are my brothers-slash-Guardians."  
The youngest boy jumped up saying, "I'm Possé." His older brother nodded to them and said, "And I'm Moroda."  
"So, you are journeying to defeat Sin, no? I am as well," Isaaru said, smiling slyly. "Perhaps we should have a race, to see who can beat Sin first."  
Yuna smiled and nodded. "Very well. I accept your challenge."  
"Well then, Lady Yuna, I must beg your leave. We want to get across the Moonflow before nightfall."  
"Of course," Yuna said, and she and Isaaru bowed to each other. "Until we next meet," Isaaru smiled, and he bowed the Summoner party into the Fayth. They all walked past, Tidus bringing up the rear, when Isaaru called, "Excuse me."  
Tidus turned, and saw Isaaru had a troubled look on his face. "You are Yuna's Guardian, no?"  
"Yes," Tidus responded slowly.  
"My brother has some interesting news."  
Moroda stepped forward. "I heard it from those Crusaders," he said, "but it seems that Summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and disappearing."  
"It could be that the fiends got them, but not so many, so quickly," Isaaru said, shaking his head. He looked worried. "Please," he said, "bear this in mind and keep Lady Yuna safe."  
"OK. I'll do that," Tidus said, holding his hand out to shake, which Isaaru shook. "Thanks for the info."  
"It not a problem," Isaaru said. Suddenly, Possé was at Tidus' shoulder.  
"Hey! Whatcha all talkin' about?" he asked.  
"We're talking about your responsibilities as a Guardian," Moroda said.  
"Hey, I'm doin' good. Right, big brother?"  
Isaaru smiled. "Well," he said to Tidus, "Until we meet again."  
The three turned to leave, and Tidus watched them until they did. He then turned around and headed into the Fayth. There, he met the others. Wakka was rallying them.  
"OK! Keep a sharp lookout! And remember, we're here to pray!"  
Auron looked at Tidus. "This should be good," he said. "The D'Jose Fayth is the hardest to get to."  
The Guardians ran into the short, glowing hallway into a large, glowing chamber. A glowing insignia decorated the floor as the Guardians and Summoner piled in. "Is this the Fayth?" Wakka asked blankly.  
"No," Auron said casually, amusement in his voice. "It's not down here."  
"Where is it?" Tidus asked.  
"Look around. You'll find it." With that, Auron turned and walked to a wall that he leaned up against for the remainder of the time. The other Guardians all started looking around, until Tidus happened to look up.  
There was a hole in the ceiling.  
It wasn't a 'hole'; it was there for a reason. "Guys," Tidus said, pointing upwards, "Look."  
Auron chuckled. "Now, how do you get up there?"  
"Well," Wakka said, scratching his head, "I could hoist Lu up there. And she could help people up to the next level."  
"There's a simpler way," Auron said.  
"How?" Yuna asked.  
"Look around."  
"Why won't you just tell us?" Lulu asked sharply.  
"You wouldn't learn anything if I just told you," he said, smiling like a kid who had a secret. But when no one moved, he resignedly left his place and walked over to where Kimarhi was standing. Reaching out, he pulled down a lever that was now very obvious. A platform rose out of the floor to allow easy access to the top room.  
Auron looked at them all. "I told you," he said in a disappointed voice, "It was right in front of you. But then, the easiest answers are always the hardest to find, correct?"  
The group had no answer for him. He smiled.  
"Follow me," he said, stepping on the platform. They followed, and the platform rose into the ceiling, bringing them to the next level. They were in a small stone chamber where a copper wire device hung from the ceiling.  
"This I will help you with, as it's tricky," Auron said, looking at the device. "That thing has to be electrified, or the Fayth won't open."  
"How do we do that?" Lulu asked. The group stared at her.  
"Oh, right," she said. She muttered under her breath, and a ring of lightning appeared around her right hand. She held her hand up, and the lightning soared into the air and into the copper, electrifying it and causing a stone wall to rise, revealing a staircase that led to-  
"The Fayth," Auron said, "is just upstairs."  
The group walked upstairs and entered a very small, dully lit room. Yuna and Kimarhi crossed to the other side, where an ornate door opened for Yuna to allow her access. When it closed behind her, Kimarhi stood in front of it, guarding. Tidus resignedly took a post next to Auron, when a new voice said, "Well, well, well. What have we here?"  
Dona and Barthellow entered the small room. "Well, I see she's still traveling with quite a crowd."  
Barthellow had walked over to Auron, studying him with great intensity. "Barthellow!" Dona said sharply. "Do you know these riffraff?"  
"You are. Are-in, no?" he asked Auron.  
"What of it?" Auron asked curtly.  
Whatever Auron had been expecting, it wasn't what Barthellow said next. "May I. Shake your hand?"  
Auron stared.  
"Are-in. No, Sir Are-in.You're the reason I became a Guardian, Sir."  
Auron chuckled, and held out his right hand. Barthellow hurriedly wiped his hand off on his shorts, and readily shook the Guardian's hand.  
"Barthellow-get back here!" Dona commanded. Barthellow immediately left Auron and return to her side. Wakka spoke up.  
"Calling the Guardian of High Summoner Braska riffraff? That's pretty bad, yah."  
"And I thought you were a Summoner," Lulu said coldly.  
If lightning was in the air, it was nothing to what was flying back and forth between Lulu and Dona. Tidus stepped back and found his way to Wakka, who muttered, "Pretty good show, huh? But it's bad on the heart, yah."  
"I shook the hand of Sir Are-in! I will never wash this hand again!" Barthellow was excitedly saying to Dona, who was visibly disgusted. "Please," she drawled, "touch me with that hand, and I'll remove it."  
Tidus found his way over to Kimarhi. "So. you know how to play twenty questions?" he asked the Ronso in boredom.  
Kimarhi looked down at him. "Pick spot. Shut up."  
Tidus stared blankly at him until he realized Kimarhi had essentially told him off. He sighed, and found his way back to Auron.  
"You're restless," Auron said to him.  
"Kinda hard not to be," Tidus responded, looking at his mentor.  
"I know. Jecht was very restless, too. He used to draw."  
Tidus stared. "My dad. Drew?"  
Auron nodded. "He got quite good at it. He drew portraits of Braska and I, and he managed to draw one of the Aeons from memory as well."  
Suddenly, the door behind Kimarhi opened, and Yuna came stumbling out. She started to fall, but, quick as lightning, Kimarhi was there to catch her.  
"It's about time," Dona said, stepping forward. "I was beginning to think I'd have to come back tomorrow."  
Dona stalked past the weakened Yuna and into the Fayth. "You know, when the time comes, your Guardians won't be able to protect you," she said scathingly, looking at Lulu, before she disappeared into the Fayth.  
  
Tidus awoke relatively early the next morning, but he found that he was still the last one up-or so he thought.  
He emerged from the inn and saw the Guardians all walking around the temple, except for Auron, who had taken up his usual post outside the temple wall. "What're we doing?" Tidus asked Wakka.  
"We're waiting for Yuna. She's still asleep, so as soon as she wakes, we'll leave."  
Tidus sighed and started looking around the tiny village. When he got bored with that, he stepped into the temple, and walked into one of the side chambers, where he found Yuna asleep on the bed. An acolyte was standing near the door, and bowed when Tidus entered. Noticing that Tidus was watching Yuna, she said, "She is exhausted from last night. Healing the wounded. Sending the fallen."  
"Oh, I see," Tidus said. "I guess I'll just let her sleep, then."  
Just then, Yuna awoke. She groggily sat up, blinking in the light, not quite awake yet. "Oh, hey. We were just waiting for you," Tidus said to her.  
"What?" she asked in surprise. She hurriedly got out of the bed, rushing around the room and gathering her things. "Just a minute, I'll be right there!" she said in a rushed voice. Tidus quietly made his exit as the Yuna continued to rush about.  
He reemerged on the street, and not a minute later, Yuna came bursting out of the temple. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she cried, bowing to them all.  
"Hey, sleepyhead!" Wakka called to her. "You need to comb your hair."  
Yuna looked at him in disbelief, but all the same, she frantically started to comb her hair with her fingers. "You should've gotten me up!" she said.  
"We would've, but we didn't think you'd hear us through all that snoring," Lulu said, humor dancing through her voice.  
"A Summoner with bed-hair. What's the world coming to?" Wakka asked jovially.  
"What is it today?" Yuna asked, miffed. "Everyone's picking on me!"  
  
Everyone, even Kimarhi and Auron, started to laugh at Yuna's flustered state. Auron chuckled a bit longer than the rest.  
"You too, Sir Auron?" Yuna asked.  
"Once Lady Yuna combs her hair, we can leave," Auron said in amusement. The others laughed again, and Yuna sat there in the center and took it all in, and began to laugh along with them.  
  
After the long period of laughing, Auron had insisted that the journey start again. The Summoner party continued out onto the Highroad again, headed in the direction of the Moonflow Lulu had spoken about earlier. Their spirits had definitely lifted, and Tidus thought the journey would have no more surprises, and that the road ahead would be as smooth as glass.  
How very wrong he was. 


	16. Chapter 16

~Chapter 16~  
  
The Highroad had again turned from rock to dirt as the Summoner party traveled forward to the Moonflow. It was a lot more environmental, Tidus thought, looking at the grass on each side of the road and deciding that he liked looking at it more than barren and jagged rock faces. He had fallen into step with Auron, who seemed to return to his normal, serious, self, though he seemed to have picked up a bit more pessimism along the way.  
Suddenly, Kimarhi stiffened, his ears wiggling with effort to hear. "What is it?" Yuna asked.  
"Kimarhi hears something," he muttered in his deep, growl-like voice. "You can, too."  
After a bit, they did hear it: a low, growling voice like Kimarhi's. Kimarhi's eyes narrowed suspiciously.  
"Beron and Yenke," he said unpleasantly.  
The group continued on and sure enough, at the end of a long trail, two very tall, very tough looking Ronsos stood, harassing a man who was passing through. They looked a lot like Kimarhi, except their horns were fully-grown, sharp and pointed on their foreheads. Looking at these two, Tidus was reminded of unicorns, except this pair didn't look like they'd be the peaceful creatures Tidus was thinking of.  
They finally scared the guy off, laughing as he ran. "Look at little man run!" The first one yelled in a low, stupid voice. The Summoner party approached slowly, led by Kimarhi. "Look!" the tallest one yelled, in a voice like Kimarhi's. "It's little Kimarhi!"  
Kimarhi seemed to grimace as he approached the two Ronsos. "Beron and Yenke," he said, acknowledging them.  
"Little Kimarhi does remember big brother!" the taller one said. "Beron though Kimarhi had forgotten him, but Kimarhi remembers!"  
"Kimarhi remembers Beron well," Kimarhi said to Beron. The tall Ronso nodded.  
"Beron is surprised," he said. "Beron didn't think little Kimarhi could see his face!"  
At this, the two Ronsos burst into laughter, and all at the expense Kimarhi, who stood there and took it. "You come to insult Kimarhi?" he asked in a low voice.  
"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke yelled, pointing at the broken-off piece of ivory on Kimarhi's forehead.  
"What do you want with Kimarhi?" Yuna asked. Beron smiled unpleasantly.  
"Beron and Yenke come to warn Kimarhi. Summoners disappearing. Kimarhi's Summoner might be next!"  
Tidus suddenly remembered what Isaaru's brother had told him in D'Jose: That Summoners had been going out on pilgrimage and just vanishing. And he didn't like the way the two Ronsos in front of him were laughing.  
"Kimarhi is very capable of keeping Yuna safe," Auron's deep, flat voice said from the rear of the group. The two fell silent as they surveyed him.  
"You are Sir Auron," Beron said.  
"Correct."  
Beron studied him carefully. "Auron had better watch for Kimarhi then. Kimarhi will fail. Kimarhi has always failed."  
Tidus could see Kimarhi shaking in rage, but he just stood there and took it. Finally, after a period of uncomfortable silence, the two Ronsos departed, leaving the Summoner party feeling very unsettled.  
"Isaaru's brother told me that at D'Jose," Tidus said, "But I forgot."  
Auron turned and looked at him. "Hmm. Perhaps we'd better keep moving."  
The group continued on, and Tidus once again fell into step with his mentor. "Is Zanarkand on the other side of the Moonflow?" he asked.  
Auron smiled. "Anxious to get home, aren't we?"  
"Well. Yes," Tidus answered. "But you would be, too."  
"Not really," Auron said, turning dark. "Bevelle is also on the other side of the Moonflow. That is where I am from. Where my story began."  
Tidus chuckled. "Your story should have ended a long time ago, old man."  
"Indeed."  
Tidus though he must have struck a nerve that time, because Auron fell silent. They walked on in silence for a while when Auron said, "I had Jecht's pictures, you know."  
"You did?" Tidus asked.  
"Yes. I had intended to show you. But, of course, he beat me to the punch."  
Tidus stared. "How?"  
Auron looked at him. "You know how."  
Tidus though hard, and his mind landed on Chicago. "Oh," he said, looking at his mentor stupidly. Auron grinned.  
"Chicago and Zanarkand. They are one in the same, and yet different, separated by one thousands years. Remarkable, isn't it?"  
"I suppose," Tidus said, bummed out again.  
"When we get to Zanarkand. When we meet the person waiting for us there. He will reappear. Jecht's story is far from over as well."  
Tidus fell into a deep thought after that. If Jecht was Sin, and Sin attacked Chicago and sent him and Auron 1,000 years into the future, how could he still be alive? For that fact, how did Auron know Jecht was Sin? He's always so cryptic, Tidus thought bitterly.  
  
The group finally took a break further down the road. "It's too dark to continue," Auron said. "We'll camp here."  
Wakka built the fire, and Lulu cast a spell to set it. The Summoner party sat around it, taking in its warmth. Kimarhi stood off to the side, still visibly affected by his brother. Tidus found his way over to him.  
"Those guys. What do they have against you?"  
Kimarhi took a deep breath. "Long ago, Beron and Kimarhi fought. Beron broke Kimarhi's horn. A hornless Ronso is shunned. Kimarhi retreated to the Calm Lands, and then went to Besaid."  
"Why?"  
Kimarhi shook his lion-like head. "Kimarhi cannot tell."  
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Of course," he muttered, "that'd be too easy."  
He found his way back to the fire, and sat by Yuna. He started humming to himself, when he noticed Yuna was listening. He stopped abruptly.  
"What was that?" Yuna asked pleasantly.  
"Uh. Calling All Angels from Train," Tidus said sheepishly. He knew Yuna would have no clue what he was talking about.  
"I see," Yuna said. "Would you like to continue?"  
"Ah. I better not."  
Wakka and Auron were talking when Auron finally turned and said, "Everyone, get to sleep. We leave early tomorrow."  
  
The next morning, the group trudged further down the road. Finally, Auron said, "We've reached the Moonflow."  
The group walked over a small ridge, and an astonishing sight met his eyes. It seemed as though they were standing on the edge of the world; it was like they had walked into a low, very brightly colored fog. It was moving swiftly past them, like a river, except sometimes, small wisps of it would leap out, circle one of them, and leap back in. Auron stepped forward, his red coat glowing slightly purple in the light. He smiled a little at Tidus' shocked look.  
"Pyre flies," Auron said, "the largest population of them in Spira." "Wow," Tidus said, although he had no idea what a Pyre fly was.  
The Pyre flies did seem to like Wakka a lot; they swirled around him, with one briefly resting on his shoulder. "These are cool little creatures, yah," he said. "I need to bring some back to Besaid."  
"They won't stay," Lulu said. "They only gather around freshwater."  
"Oh yeah," Wakka said, waving them out of his face. Auron had already continued forward, but Yuna had stayed, kneeling at the water's edge, looking in wonder. "I hear that this place can be very magical at night." she said.  
"We're not staying here until nightfall," Auron said flatly, continuing forward. Resignedly, Yuna got up and followed him. There was a small path that ran besides the Moonflow until it veered away towards what looked like some sort of station.  
There was a platform in the center, looking like something you'd see in a western movie train station, although the thing standing next to it was hardly a train.  
It was tall, fat, and stupid looking; its small little eyes looked at everything and nothing at the same time. It had a carriage on its back, and it reminded Tidus of a very tall elephant, minus the tusks and trunk. "Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed when he saw it. "What is that?"  
"A shoupuff!" Yuna said, her eyes shining. "I haven't ridden a shoupuff since I was a little girl."  
"Kimarhi remembers that day well. Shoupuff hit bump. Yuna fall out. Shoupuff extend its tiny nose and put Yuna back into carriage. Yuna fall out three more times for fun. Kimarhi worried," Kimarhi said, frowning slightly at Yuna.  
"Oh. Sorry," Yuna said, reddening slightly.  
Tidus found his way from the two of them and made his way over to Auron, who was looking closely at the shoupuff in front of him. "I see they're still using this particular shoupuff."  
"What?" Tidus asked. Auron smiled.  
"Jecht didn't know what a shoupuff was. The first time he saw one, he drew his blade, and attacked it, thinking it was a fiend."  
Tidus looked at the harmless-looking creature. "How could he have made that mistake?"  
"He was drunk," Auron responded solemnly.  
"Oh," Tidus said in disappointment.  
John "Jecht" Scott had been in the rumor mill for some time before his disappearance: the rumor was that he had a drinking problem, and that's why his game was slipping, and the reason why his contract with the Bulls hadn't been renewed. Jecht, of course, denied the drinking rumor, but when you're drunk on national television and have trouble remembering your wife's name, it makes things difficult.  
"We had to pay the driver all the money we had," Auron continued. "Jecht swore he would never drink again. He took all of his alcohol, put it a bottle, and tossed it into the sea."  
Tidus rolled his eyes. He still couldn't figure his father out.  
  
The group was standing on the platform, waiting. Wakka and Yuna were at the actual station behind the platform, trying to get a free ride across. Wakka smiled, and the two of them actually sprinted back to the others. "Alright!" he called. "We get across for free."  
They all boarded the large creature, and waited for the driver, who proved to be a little, four-foot-tall creature with blue skin and large, bulging eyes. He climbed up behind the shoupuff's head, and the large animal started across the Moonflow.  
Wakka was sitting across from Tidus when he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Come here," He said, motioning to the seat adjacent to him. Tidus obliged, as Wakka was turning to look out over the carriage. Tidus followed his gaze, looking into the water.  
"You know what that is?" Wakka asked him. Tidus shook his head.  
"Under there, down on the bottom of the river floor, are the remains of city that was built over the Moonflow. I mean, on top of it. It connected to the land by a bunch of bridges, but you know what? The whole thing collapsed. Just like that. I mean, they only built it to prove they could. And now, look-what's so great about that?"  
"Of course," Auron said, "you forgot the part about the war weakening the bridges."  
"What war?" Tidus asked as Wakka pondered this.  
"Long ago, Bevelle fought a war against Zanarkand. This was before Sin, and many scholars will still argue that it is the very reason Sin appeared in the first place. You see, Bevelle was worried that the people in Zanarkand would overrule their religion, Yevon. Zanarkand, for its part, welcomed Yevon, but feared that they would be taken over. Suspicion mounted on suspicion, and the two cities eventually met in the Calm Lands, further north of here. In the middle of the last battle, fought in the same place as the first, Sin appeared. This is why Yevon bans machina weapons: The soldiers from Bevelle and Zanarkand alike were using them."  
This story unsettled everyone on the shoupuff. Auron sighed and continued.  
"After Sin appeared, it destroyed Zanarkand, and everyone in it. Afterwards, Bevelle determined that machina was the reason Sin appeared. They condemned all of it, which is why the Al Bhed aren't exactly the most popular people in Spira."  
"If they don't wanna be persecuted, they need to stop doing all that crap," Wakka said.  
"True," Auron said, nodding, "but don't you think the argument is just a little one-sided?"  
"No," Wakka said flatly.  
Auron shook his head. "A wise man once said that you couldn't tell a story unless you have all of your events set. Do you?"  
Wakka didn't reply, he just mumbled. Tidus went back over to his seat next to Auron. "Of course," Auron started, "that story is not entirely true, either."  
"Why not?" Tidus asked.  
"The answer is closer than you think," Auron said.  
"You?" Tidus asked.  
"No. You, Tidus. Jecht and you are proof that there is much more to the story. Of course, they wouldn't believe me. But you might."  
"Tell me," Tidus said eagerly.  
"Consider this," Auron said, "Chicago, or Zanarkand, whichever you refer to it as, is located in the Mid-Western United States. Correct?"  
"Yes," Tidus said uncertainly.  
"Well, Zanarkand is up north; in fact, it's the very tip of the continent. So I ask you: How does a Mid-Western city end up in the north?"  
"It can't," Tidus said.  
"Yes and no," Auron responded. "I have a theory that when Sin appeared, it altered your world, almost like when Pangaea was still in one piece. It broke this continent and fused it with this continent, so on and so on. I think the world was changed when Sin appeared, and of course, there was a massive amount of death. Therefore, how could the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand bring Sin about, when Sin was already there?"  
"They didn't," Tidus said.  
"Correct. I would be imprisoned for saying what I am about to tell you, but I believe Yevon brought about Sin for the sole purpose of defeating Zanarkand, even before the war."  
"And it got out of their control, didn't it," Tidus asked, realization dawning upon him.  
"Theoretically, yes."  
Tidus sat back, mulling over this in his mind. Auron leaned back in his seat. "Yu Yevon," he said, "That was the name of the first Grand Maester. He's the person who began preaching against Sin after the war. Grand Maester Yu Yevon."  
Auron sighed, and stopped talking. For the moment, all was quiet, when suddenly, it happened.  
The two strangely clothed people leapt into the carriage from the top. They grabbed Yuna and leapt into the water with her. The whole abduction took less than a few seconds.  
Kimarhi stood and roared as loud as he could at the water's surface. "Al Bhed!" Wakka yelled. "Tidus! Let's go!"  
Wakka jumped into the water and Tidus followed suit, unhooking his sword from its latch on his shorts. In the water, the watery blade almost disappeared to the eyes; blending in with the background. He saw Wakka ahead of him, holding his Blitzball under his arm.  
The two swam for quite a bit before they realized they were under real water, so they headed up to catch their breath. Diving under again, they spotted her in a glowing glass bubble, above a large, round machina with propellers. The two hesitated, but hurried forward anyway.  
As they approached, the machina suddenly opened on either side. Two wing-like structures opened, revealing cannons underneath.  
The two men stopped dead.  
The cannons opened fire, shooting Blitzballs at them at a furious pace. The two of them weathered the attack, and hurried forward to save the Summoner. Wakka managed to somehow aim a straight enough shot so that his Blitzball jammed one of the cannons by wedging itself into the barrel with another ball. Overloaded, the cannon exploded, blowing that half of the machina away. A small, submarine-like pod dropped out of the bottom. Tidus couldn't see who was in it, but he could see them working the controls. Just as it was making its getaway, the rest of the contraption exploded, knocking the little sub away, along with the glass ball that contained Yuna.  
Tidus yelped, and gave up precious air bubbles as he swam after the orb with Yuna in it. He caught up to it, but he saw no obvious way to open it.  
Wakka swam up to him, slightly blue, and pointed upwards. The two of them got under the sphere Yuna was in and pushed it up to the surface.  
Tidus took a deep breath and it felt like someone had just plugged him into a wall outlet. He felt more alive than ever right at that moment. He felt himself being pulled roughly out of the water by Kimarhi, and watched as Lulu helped Wakka up into the carriage. He slumped up against the seats as Auron cracked the sphere open with his sword. Yuna tumbled out, unconscious, as the Summoner party looked on in worry.  
  
The seats were a bit crowded now. Yuna, still asleep, was stretched out on one of the benches, meaning everyone else had to cram onto the remaining seats. "How 'bout that, huh?" Wakka asked triumphantly. "The Al Bhed are trying to kidnap Yuna! They're probably sore over Operation Mi'hen!"  
"I doubt it," Auron said flatly  
"Wait," Lulu said, "didn't Kimarhi's clansmen mention something about Summoners disappearing?"  
"That seems to be the most logical approach to the situation, Wakka," Auron said.  
"So," Wakka said, "you think the Al Bhed are kidnapping the Summoners- but not because of Operation Mi'hen?"  
"Correct," Auron responded.  
"Great," Wakka muttered.  
  
The shoupuff finally reached the other bank and the Summoner party exited the carriage. Kimarhi carried Yuna in his muscular arms, and when the group reached the station, she regained consciousness.  
"Kimarhi," she said weakly.  
"Yuna gets taken. Kimarhi will never leave Yuna again," Kimarhi said in his deep voice.  
"Me either," Tidus said.  
"We leave," Auron said, standing by a road sign surrounded by what Tidus recognized as Guado.  
"We must pass through Guadosalam to get to Macalania Temple. The sooner we get there, the better."  
Tidus followed his mentor up the path when Yuna stumbled. "Oh!" she said. "I'm fine-just a little dizzy."  
"We can wait, Yuna," Lulu said kindly. Wakka kneeled next to her.  
"Take your time. We'll leave when you're ready."  
Tidus decided to go see the rest of the Moonflow while he still could. As he walked along the banks, he spotted someone laying facedown in the mud.  
"Hey!" He yelled, scrambling up to her. She was wearing a swimming suit and goggles. Tidus struggled to get the goggles off, and when he did, he gasped.  
It was Rikku. 


	17. Chapter 17

~Chapter 17~  
  
She slowly opened her eyes, looking at Tidus in disbelief. "Hey," she said, and she stood on her own legs.  
"Hey," Tidus said to her, still dumbstruck. He watched her carefully. "I though you guys had died that night."  
"Nope!" Rikku said cheerfully, removing her swimming suit and revealing a brown sleeveless shirt and green shorts beneath. "You big meanie!"  
Rikku lashed out and punched Tidus on the arm. "That hurt earlier!"  
"What-that was you?!" Tidus asked, rubbing his arm.  
"Yes. Why'd you have to go and beat me up? I wasn't attacking you," she said.  
"You were attacking Yuna. I had to protect her!" Tidus said to her, still not believing he was seeing her.  
"Hey!" Wakka's voice called. "Who's your friend here?"  
The group converged around Tidus and Rikku and Tidus said, "Hey, Wakka! Everyone! This is Rikku, you know, the one I told you about? She's an Al Bhe-"  
Tidus cut his sentence short and trailed off, no longer meeting Wakka's eyes. Auron, behind his back, arched an eyebrow. He's trying to figure it out, Tidus thought. At the same Time, Yuna hurriedly whispered something in Lulu's ear. Lulu stepped forward.  
"Listen, we need to talk," she said in a strange voice.  
"Yes. I must speak with Rikku," Yuna said, stepping up next to her.  
"OK." Wakka said, crossing his arms.  
"Uh, girls only!" Rikku called cheerfully. Lulu smiled.  
"Sorry, Wakka, but Rikku's right. You'll have to sit this one out."  
The three girls walked past Wakka, leaving him looking stupid. Tidus laughed.  
"Don't worry, Wakka. Some of the smartest people can't figure women out," he said, smiling at his friend's obvious confusion.  
For the most part, Auron and Kimarhi could have cared less about the girls' little pow-wow off to the side. Tidus didn't particularly care, either; he had been raised in Chicago, so he saw that kind of thing all the time in school. Only Wakka was really trying to hear what was going on, leaning over towards the girls, concentration written on his face.  
Finally, after a bit, the girls all came back. "Sir Auron!" Yuna called. "Could you come here for a moment?"  
"Why does he get to go over there?" Wakka cried. Auron brushed past him towards Yuna, who was standing next to Rikku.  
"Yes?" Auron asked.  
"Sir Auron, I would like Rikku to be one of my Guardians." Yuna said doggedly. Auron stepped forward.  
"Let me see your face," He said to Rikku.  
Rikku looked up at him, keeping her eyes shut.  
"Open your eyes. Look at me," Auron commanded. She reluctantly opened her eyes, revealing her emerald green eyes: they were spiraled around her black pupils. Auron nodded.  
"As I thought," he said, looking up in amusement.  
"No good, huh?" Rikku asked, looking dejected.  
Auron looked over at Wakka. Yuna could tell he was doing some serious thinking. Finally, he said, "The decision is Yuna's."  
"Thank you," Yuna said. They all walked back to where the others stood waiting. "I have decided to have Rikku join our group as one of my Guardians."  
Tidus shot a quick look at Wakka, who simply smiled and said, "Well, the more, the merrier!"  
"Well," Rikku said happily, "I'll just have to be the merriest. Rikku, at your service!" she said, jumping into the middle of the group and bowing energetically to all of them.  
  
The rest of the Highroad was wooded over, leading in a winding trail until it finally ended in a large, wooden tunnel-like structure. Auron nodded.  
"Guadosalam," he murmured.  
The others looked on in apprehension. The towering structure gave a foreboding appearance to the Summoner party, with the exception of Auron. He turned to the others.  
"Let's go," he said.  
They all walked into the tunnel, which descended into the earth until they finally emerged into a bedrock chamber. Tidus gasped.  
It was nothing short of a small town underneath the Spiran soil. Street lanterns lit the small town, which was connected by stone bridges with no guardrails. The group looked around in amazement, again with the exception of Auron. As they watched, a figure emerged from the shadows in front of them, saying "Welcome to Guadosalam."  
He had a large, round belly under his dark purple robes. His hair was bright green, and it was grown into a beard that was unnaturally square. He bowed deeply to them, displaying the same type of claw-like hands that Seymour had. "Lord Seymour has been expecting you, Lady Yuna," he said, attempting to take Yuna's hand. She drew back.  
"Ah, but your Guardians are welcomed as well," he added.  
"And who might you be?" Auron asked, stepping forward.  
"I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the service of Lord Seymour, as I was for his father Lord Jyscal. Please, if you'll follow me to the manor."  
The group followed Tromell deeper into the caverns, looking around as they did so. He eventually led them to a large, ornate doorway that seemed to be carved into the very stone. Tromell led them into a spacious chamber with double stairways and told them, "Please wait here. I'll inform the Maester that you have arrived." With that, he departed into a set of double doors in the center of the opposite wall. Tidus stood next Auron for a bit, but eventually he found himself wandering up to where Wakka and Lulu stood on the staircase. They were looking at a painting of Seymour.  
"This painting of Seymour looks different from the others, doesn't it?" Lulu asked Tidus.  
"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Tidus said, looking from Seymour to the Guado next to him. Seymour's face was much smoother, and he didn't seem to have the elegant lines caressing his face like the others did.  
"That's because his father, Lord Jyscal, wed a human wife," Lulu said. Wakka nodded in agreement.  
"That's right. He was the one who brought Yevon to the Guado, and that was the reason why," he said. He looked admiringly at the painting next to Seymour's. "He was truly a great man."  
Suddenly, the chamber doors opened, and Tromell reappeared. "Lord Seymour will be with you momentarily, but he has asked me to take you into his dining chamber. Please follow me."  
The Summoner party walked through the doors and went through a short hallway before emerging into a room that looked like it had been prepared for a banquet. Tidus looked around at the tables, lined with food and drink. Rikku bounced over to a table that held nothing but huge, delicious- looking apples. She snatched one and took a huge bite out of it. "Mmm!" she said in a muffled voice. "This is good!"  
Auron leaned against the wall and was, as usual, keeping his distance from the rest of the group. Ever since he had joined the group, he seemed more aloof than ever before. Tidus made his way over to Lulu, who had spotted him out of the corner of her eye.  
"There is no temple in Guadosalam," she said to him. "Summoners usually pass through on their pilgrimage, unless they wish to visit the Farplane."  
Tidus chuckled. "What?" Lulu asked.  
"I didn't even ask a question, and you're telling me all about Spira," he said. In a lower voice, he added, "Maybe you finally believe me about Chica-I mean, Zanarkand."  
Lulu bowed her head. "There are many things I do not know in this world," she said, "and your Zanarkand is one of them. Perhaps there is a great city there, perhaps."  
"Perhaps it's just ruins," Tidus finished for her.  
Just then, Tromell emerged out of a side door. "Lord Seymour will see you now."  
"Did he say what he wanted to see us about?" Yuna asked.  
"I'm afraid he did not, Lady Summoner," Tromell said. "Whatever the reason, I'm sure it is a good one. Lord Seymour is a wise leader, much like his father. He not only a Maester of Yevon, but he is the leader of our very society."  
"Please, Tromell," said a soft, slightly high pitched voice. "Must I always endure such praise?"  
Maester Seymour entered the room and Tromell bowed deeply to him, as did Yuna and Wakka. Tromell bowed himself out of the room after that, leaving the Maester alone with the Summoner party. Seymour smiled.  
"Please, make yourselves at home. There is no need to rush."  
"Make this quick. Yuna must rush," Auron said flatly.  
"Of course," Seymour said softly, bowing. "I hoped I could speak to Lady Yuna." He locked eyes with her. "Please," he said, "come with me."  
He took her hand and closed his eyes. Instantly, the room they were in seemed to dissolve into nothing but pure darkness, yet they were still illuminated. Suddenly, the room erupted in color, springing up into a darkened night's sky over the skyline of a metropolitan city. They seemed to be flying above it, looking around in wonder. Suddenly, they were on the ground, amidst people who didn't even notice they were there. Tidus' heart stopped.  
"Chicago?!" he asked wildly.  
They were indeed standing in central Chicago, right outside the basketball stadium. Seymour looked at him.  
"Yes. This is Zanarkand," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "as it looked 1,000 years ago. This room we are in is a giant sphere that has recorded the memories of the dead who lived in Zanarkand. Just look at it," he said, marveling at the illusion before him. "Zanarkand was the first city to be destroyed by Sin. Ever since then, Summoners have been going on a pilgrimage to Zanarkand to defeat it."  
The image shifted again, and Tidus was suddenly inside an L-Train, winding its way through the night sky. Seymour looked out of the window.  
"She once lived here, you know," he said quietly. Auron scowled.  
"Who?" Yuna asked. Seymour smiled, and the room shifted again this time back into Seymour's dining room. As the group watched, Seymour led Yuna over to the other side of the room. An image appeared in the center, that of a beautiful woman sitting on a bed.  
"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna cried.  
"Yes. The first Summoner to defeat Sin," Seymour acknowledged. "You carry her namesake. In doing so, your father Braska entrusted you with a great legacy." "However," he continued, "Lady Yunalesca did not defeat Sin on her own."  
Suddenly, the image of a powerfully built man slowly swam into view. The ghostly image walked right through Yuna to get to Lady Yunalesca. Yunalesca, seeing him, jumped off of the bed and embraced him.  
"It took a strong bond of love, the kind that binds two hearts forever. Lady Yunalesca and her husband, Lord Zaon, for instance."  
The image started to fade in a flash of brilliant white light. As it did so, Seymour slowly walked up next to Yuna, and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Yuna's expression turned from curiosity to shock faster than light.  
When the light finally did fade, Yuna quickly left Seymour's side. She rushed over to a table that held seven glasses of water. She grabbed one and drank it quickly, bewilderment written all over her face. The guardians rushed forward. "What is it?" Wakka asked.  
Yuna looked up at them, surprise written all over her face. "He just asked me. To marry him!" 


	18. Chapter 18

~Chapter 18~  
  
The group stared at Yuna, stunned. Auron angrily looked away from Yuna and focused on Seymour. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked.  
"Please consider it. It would be so good to distract Spira from all of the pain and death that Sin has brought. A marriage of this magnitude would. Give the people something nice to talk about for a change. That's all."  
Yeah, right, Tidus thought.  
"Distract them all you want. In the end, it goes back to the same story. What of her pilgrimage, eh?"  
"Please, I am not asking for an immediate response," Seymour said. "Just consider it."  
It seemed to Tidus that Seymour and Auron were in nothing short of a verbal jousting match, and Auron's temper was starting to flare. "This proposal does nothing at all for Spira and you know it," he said hardly. He turned to the others.  
"We leave," he said shortly. The others piled out of the room, leaving only Tidus, Auron, Seymour, and Rikku, who was hastily snatching and stashing apples. Auron had apparently struck a nerve with Seymour, because he suddenly called out, "Why are you still here, sir?" Auron stopped dead in his tracks, just as Rikku had run out the door. "Forgive me," Seymour said, no hint of apology in his voice, "but we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."  
Auron's fist was balled. Tidus, unsure of what Seymour had just said, stepped forward and sniffed his mentor. Unsatisfied, he said to Seymour, "I don't smell anything."  
Auron angrily brushed Tidus out of his way and exited the room. Not wanting to stay there alone with Seymour, Tidus hurried out after him.  
  
Outside, Yuna was sitting on a bench made of stone surrounded by the others. "Boy, he sure chose a great time to lay this one on us!" Wakka said, his hand on his forehead.  
"Yuna, the daughter of High Summoner Braska, Maester Seymour, son of Lord Jyscal and a human woman, brought together in wedlock, overcoming the barriers of race. It would indeed give Spira something to talk about," Lulu said.  
Tidus wanted to yell out, "Do you even like the guy? Do you even know him?" But the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Yuna was still silent. She finally stood.  
"I want to go to the Farplane. I want to see my father," she said at last.  
Tidus looked up. "Isn't the Farplane where dead people go?"  
"Yes," Auron answered. Tidus wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard a slight hint of fear in his mentor's voice.  
"Alright," Wakka said. "We'll go there. C'mon, guys!"  
The group made its way to a higher level in the city. A large ornate door stood in the rock, leading down a dark corridor. The group walked down into this corridor, before finally emerging into a brightly lit chamber. It seemed to be only a single stairway leading to a huge, swirling blob of color. "Question!" Tidus said suddenly, making the group pause. "The Farplane is where dead people go, right? And Yuna's father is there, right? So.They're all in there?" he asked. He suddenly had a vision of a dark room with ghosts flying all around him.  
"You'll see for yourself," Wakka said, grinning. They all started up the stairway. Tidus was about to ask Auron a question when he suddenly realized he wasn't there. Looking around, he found his mentor seated on the stairs. He seemed to be breathing very quickly, as though something was physically wrong with him. "Why aren't you going?" Tidus asked him.  
"I do not belong there," he said hurriedly. He seemed to have lost his cool manner.  
"What, are you scared?" Tidus asked, grinning. Auron drew himself up importantly.  
"Searching the past, to find the future. that is all that is there. I need it not."  
"It's not like you're going to see the dead," Rikku said, coming down the stairs to join them; apparently, she hadn't gone in either. "You're just seeing a memory. You see, the pyre flies react to your thoughts, and the show you an image of the person. that's all." She paused, and sat next to Auron. "Well, have fun!" she said brightly.  
"You aren't going either?" Tidus asked in bewilderment.  
"I like to keep my memories. inside," Rikku said. She took out one of her stolen apples and began to munch on it. Tidus shook his head, and started up the stairway again. He finally came to the blob, which he hesitantly put his finger to. Satisfied that it hadn't eaten him, he stepped through onto what he saw to be a rocky floor. Looking around, he saw Wakka chatting to an image of someone who looked remarkably like him. Suddenly, Wakka's words came screaming back to him:  
"My little brudda, Chappu. he looked like you."  
So that was Chappu, the one who had died a year before in an attack against Sin. Thinking of this made Tidus think of Operation Mi'hen, and to his surprise, the pyre flies formed an image of Luzzu in front of him. Scared, he fanned the flies away, and caught the attention of Lulu in the same instant.  
"This place. This is where the fallen are sent. Summoners send their souls to this place of eternal rest. The pyre flies that reside here take on the form of the person you wish to see," Lulu said.  
"Yeah, I know," Tidus said. "Rikku told me."  
"He really does look like you," Lulu said, looking at Chappu. "When I first saw you, I thought maybe, somehow, he had survived. but, he's here." Lulu looked away. "This, Chappu, is my good-bye. you always said I looked grumpy. but those were the best days of my life."  
Tidus left Lulu and walked over to Yuna. She was talking to the images of the same robed person whose statues graced the temples. Lord Braska and his wife floated in front of Yuna, looking on as she talked. Tidus slowly came up next to her.  
"Hey," he said. She looked at him.  
"Hello."  
Tidus wasn't exactly sure what to say next. The two of them stood there in silence for a while, until Yuna finally said, "I have made my decision."  
"Already?" Tidus asked, shocked.  
"Yes. I will tell Maester Seymour before we leave."  
"You don't have to tell him right away," Tidus said reasonably. "I mean, you could always just come back. right?"  
Yuna shook her head. "No," she said. "I must tell him now."  
The images of Braska and his wife disappeared. Yuna looked at Tidus curiously. "Try calling him," she said.  
Tidus looked at her. "Who?" he asked.  
"Sir Jecht!" she said. "Auron said he might not be dead. so try calling him, Tidus!"  
Trying not to think about his father only made him just that. The pyre flies just simply floated around him, doing nothing.  
"See?" Yuna asked excitedly. "He isn't dead! He's still alive!"  
No, Tidus thought glumly, He's Sin.  
Tidus now believed Auron about his father completely. "I really hate him," Tidus said quietly.  
"Why?" Yuna asked.  
"It was always him, him, him! He always put everyone down around him! When he disappeared, mom and me-"  
Tidus suddenly stopped. The pyre flies had finally reacted to his thoughts and the image of his mother appeared in front of him. "No," he whispered.  
"She's very beautiful," Yuna said quietly.  
"How could. she be here?" Tidus asked Yuna. "No one was there to send her."  
"She must have accepted death," Yuna said. "She didn't want to live any longer."  
"Hey, that's my mom you're talking about," Tidus said sullenly.  
"I'm sorry," Yuna said, shrinking away.  
"It's OK," Tidus said, his memory kicking into overdrive.  
Back when he was young in Chicago, his mother had always been attached to his father. When Jecht was around, she would not focus on anything else except Jecht, Jecht, Jecht. When he disappeared, she gave up. The neighbor lady across the hall had once told him that when two lovebirds lived together, and one died, the other gave up living so it could be with its mate.  
Pondering this, a seven-year-old Tidus found his way to the balcony in his apartment. His mother was in the hospital and doctors feared the worst. He remembered Auron had been there. Tidus wasn't exactly thrilled to see him.  
"What do you want?" He had grumpily asked.  
"Is she all right?" Auron asked in concern.  
"Whatta you care?" Tidus asked.  
"If she dies, I won't know what to do," Auron said, a bit of hysteria in his voice.  
Tidus whirled around to face him. "Don't say mom's gonna die!"  
"My apologies," Auron said. "I shall keep her in my prayers."  
Auron stayed with Tidus that night, keeping watch over him. Finally, at one o'clock in the morning, they received the call: Tidus' mother had passed away. The weeks after that had escaped Tidus in a blur, but he could remember feeling so terrible.  
  
Outside the Farplane, Rikku had noticed something. Auron seemed to be breathing in short, ragged breaths. He was shaking, too; it seemed he was not well. "Are you OK?" Rikku asked in concern.  
"I'm fine," Auron answered shortly. Sweat rolled off of his brow like a waterfall. Rikku raised her eyebrows.  
"Are you sure?"  
Auron looked at her. "Yes," he said coldly.  
Suddenly, the Summoner party returned from the Farplane. They began walking down the stairway towards Auron and Rikku. Auron stood. He was about to say something, when suddenly, a Guado starting to enter the Farplane cried out:  
"Lord Jyscal!"  
The others turned, and to their surprise, the ghost of the late Lord Jyscal was trying to break through the barrier of the Farplane and join them in this world. Auron looked to Yuna.  
"He does not belong here. Yuna-send him."  
Yuna hurriedly dashed up the stairs to see him. The ghost looked imploringly at her, but said nothing.  
"Lord Jyscal," she said in pity.  
"Do it now!" Auron cried, almost in desperation.  
Yuna began dancing the Sending Dance. Jyscal started to breakdown into the same kind of multicolored light that fiends did when they had been killed. It was a sad sight to watch.  
Another strange sight was going on behind the Summoner party. Unseen by the others, Auron had collapsed to his knees. His breathing was even shallower now. It literally took everything he had to watch Yuna send Jyscal.  
When the deed was done, Jyscal disappeared in front of Yuna, but as he did, his ghost dropped a sphere at her feet. When Jyscal was completely gone, Yuna picked the sphere up, and looked at it curiously.  
Auron had finally found the strength to stand. "We leave," he said, "now."  
  
As the group walked back through the dark corridor, all they could talk about was the mysterious reappearance of Lord Jyscal. Yuna had decided to keep the sphere she had obtained a secret for now, but the rest of the group wanted to talk all about the strange events that seemed to be happening.  
"If Jyscal came back as a ghost, it means he wasn't sent. but how could he end up on the Farplane?" Lulu asked.  
"I would say that he probably was sent once before. but a strong emotion or desire kept him bound to this world," Auron said. He seemed to have recovered miraculously since leaving the presence of the Farplane.  
"So. maybe he was concerned about Seymour," Wakka said.  
"I doubt it," Auron said. "There is only one explanation."  
"And that is." Tidus asked.  
"It means he died an unclean death," Auron said in a low voice.  
  
The Summoner party was, to say the least, rattled. Seymour's proposal, Lord Jyscal, and the strange disappearances of the Summoners. what did it mean?  
The group stopped outside of Seymour's manor. "I will go discuss the proposal with Maester Seymour," Yuna said. "I will be back shortly."  
She disappeared into the manor and the Guardians sat around, looking like traveling salespeople that wouldn't go away. Finally, after an eternity, Tidus got bored, and started looking around Guadosalam. He found a tunnel the group had not yet explored, seemingly rising out of the city. A Guado man stood guard. "Hey," Tidus asked him, "where does that go?"  
"The Gandof Thunder Plains," the Guado responded. "As a matter of fact, Maester Seymour and his Guardians just left a few minutes ago, headed for the temple at Macalania. Maester Seymour is the High Priest of that temple, you know."  
"Uh-huh. Thanks," Tidus said, and dashed back to the group, just as Yuna was coming out of the manor. "I can't find him!" she said.  
"Hey guys! The guard up there said he went to the temple at Macarena!"  
"That's Macalania," Wakka corrected.  
"Aight! Aight!" Tidus said. Auron cast him a look.  
"Maester Seymour went Macalania?" Yuna asked quietly. Auron stepped forward.  
"We'll meet him there," he said. "Macalania is the next stop, anyway."  
Yuna nodded. "Very well. We shall continue on to Macalania."  
"I have an idea! Let's see how many more times we can say 'Macalania!'" Tidus said enthusiastically. Rikku laughed, and the rest of the group just stared at him.  
  
After the group went through the stone tunnel that led back to the ground, Tidus expected to see another Highroad; however, there was no Highroad on this side of Guadosalam, only a dark, vast plain filled with lightning. Just as they emerged, a bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. Rikku cowered away in fear.  
"Do we have to go this way?" she whined.  
"This is the only way to go," Auron answered, surveying her. She looked pleadingly at him. "Can't we wait a while?"  
"Nice knowing you," Auron said coldly. Rikku sighed.  
"Fine! You big jerk!" she said to Auron, who had already started across. Tidus looked at Wakka.  
"If you think the storm is bad," he said, "get ready for this." 


	19. Chapter 19

~Chapter 19~  
  
Auron started going across the plains fearlessly, but the rest of the group was a little more hesitant. There were lightning towers scattered across the field, which was mostly rock and loose soil. Auron stopped beneath one of the towers, and when the group finally made it to him, a bolt of lightning struck the tower, scaring Rikku out of her wits. To everyone's surprise, Auron was smiling.  
"When Jecht, Braska, and I came out across these plains," he started, "Jecht was struck."  
"Figures," Tidus said.  
"However, he stood, and said, 'Hey, guys. Let's make a game outta this. The person who gets struck the least wins!' And I said, 'But there are towers all over, we could hide under those. You'll lose.' But he said, 'They don't count. We make a mad dash. We'll get across faster.' In the end, I lost. Braska won."  
"So?" Rikku asked. Auron grinned.  
"The person who gets struck the least," he said, "loses. Go!"  
With that, he shot off, leaving the rest of the group behind. Tidus looked at Wakka and Yuna.  
"Whatta you say?" he asked. "Let's do it!" He turned, and headed off after Auron. The rest of the group shrugged, and started off after them. They all had their fair share of strikes: Tidus was struck at least four times. Finally, they came to an Inn in the middle of the field.  
"Who would be crazy enough to put an Inn up here?" Tidus asked in amusement.  
"Rin," Rikku said. "I know him." She turned to Auron. "Can we please rest here for a while? Please?"  
"Why? This storm never ends. The quicker we get across, the better," Auron said.  
"Please?" she begged. She kept pestering Auron until he finally said, "Fine! We rest." He turned to Tidus, saying, "She's worse than the storm."  
  
Inside the Inn, Yuna turned to the others and said, "I am. rather tired. I think I'll go lie down." She turned to the woman at the counter. "Do you have a room available?"  
"Hevek ti unna, qui?" she asked. Rikku shook her head, and walked over to the woman. "Gev tooka a gavi," she said. She turned to Yuna. "I told her you wanted a room."  
The woman handed Yuna a key on a golden chain. "Thank you," Yuna said.  
"Figje qui," Rikku translated. The woman smiled.  
Yuna turned to the others. "Well. Good-night," she said, and she disappeared into the hallway leading to the rooms. Tidus found his way over to the bookshelf and was looking over the titles when he heard a familiar voice say, "Hali do saud qui."  
Tidus turned and looked at the smiling face of Rin the Innkeeper. He bowed to him.  
"It's a pleasure to see you again, sir," Rin said. "I hope your journey is faring well?"  
"Well enough, I suppose," Tidus said. Rin nodded, and cast a look at Auron, who was standing by a window. "I wonder. Is that Sir Auron, by any chance?"  
"Yeah," Tidus said. "That's him."  
"Ah!" Rin said, brightening. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure." He turned and called out, "A pleasure to see you again, Sir Auron!"  
Auron turned around and looked at Rin. "You as well," he said. "How have you been?"  
"Good enough," Rin said. "I haven't seen you since Lord Braska defeated Sin. I remember you were quite wounded."  
"That is correct," Auron said, sounding as though he wanted to change the subject.  
"However, when I awoke the next morning, you were gone! It surprised me, to say the least. An ordinary man would not have survived such an injury."  
"What injury?" Tidus asked. "It's only a scar," he added, referring to the large scar that ran through Auron's right eye.  
"I do not mean that scar," Rin said. "I mean his chest wound."  
"Well, I was a very tough young man," Auron said, with an air of annoyance. "I was well enough to get back to Bevelle."  
"I see," Rin said, very bright now. "Well, make yourselves at home here. for, as the old saying goes, my house is your house." With that, Rin bowed himself out of the room, leaving the Guardians alone. One by one, they made their ways back into the rooms Rin had set aside for them. First Rikku went out, then a yawning Auron followed suit. Lulu left next, leaving Wakka, Kimarhi, and Tidus alone in the main room. Tidus finally felt sleep overtaking him, and made his way back to a room, where he wanted nothing more than to flop down on the comfy bed inside the room and drift into a peaceful slumber. However, he heard and witnessed something very peculiar on his way back.  
Outside of Yuna's room, he heard an unfamiliar voice saying something. He couldn't quite hear it as well as he wanted to, because it was behind the door, but he thought it sounded like it had been recorded, like a cassette tape or something like that.  
Tidus leaned over to the door, keeping his ear close. He still couldn't hear what the voice was saying, so he leaned against the door, pressing his ear to the surface, and that was when it unexpectedly came unlatched and Tidus tumbled into the room.  
He was face down on the floor; he didn't see Yuna at first, who had shrieked slightly as he made his entrance. He stood, and saw her standing next to a table in a blue nightdress, her face flushed from fright. "I-uh- I didn't-" Tidus sputtered, unable to finish his sentences. Slowly, his gaze shifted from Yuna to a small, blue semi-sphere surrounded by a gold ring on the table. It had the image of a person Tidus was sure he had seen before, but before he could get a closer look at it, Yuna had snatched it out of sight.  
"Hey, I'm sorry, really-" Tidus started, but Yuna had hurried out of the room before he could finish. Tidus was left alone in there, scratching the back of his head, and wracking his brains to try to remember where he had seen the person in the sphere before.  
  
The next morning, Tidus, who was again the last person out of bed, found everyone else waiting in the main room. Rikku was fearfully looking out the rain-lashed windows while everyone stood behind them. Finally, Auron got tired of standing around, and walked outside. Everyone, even Rikku, followed suit. The group was asked by Yuna to stay a ways back while she discussed something with Auron. While the two of them stood off to the side, the rest of the Summoner party just stood in front of the Inn. Then, completely out of nowhere, a man ran up to them, took a picture with a high flash camera, and ran off.  
"Well, this is probably gonna be a good day," Tidus muttered. "It's already started off weird."  
Auron was waving for them to follow Yuna and him, so they obliged, making their way carefully across the Thunder Plains, until Yuna said quietly, "I have something to say, everyone."  
The group stopped. Auron spotted a covered shelter not too far away. "Over there," he said, and the group thankfully retreated to the dry area underneath. Surrounded by her Guardians, Yuna dropped the bombshell that Tidus had been waiting for.  
"I. I have decided to marry Maester Seymour," she said quietly. "What?" Tidus asked. "Why?"  
Yuna hesitated. "I found a sphere with Lord Jyscal saying. something about Seymour.  
"Auron stepped forward. "Show me," he said. Yuna backed away.  
"I can't," she said. Auron looked on in contempt.  
"If. I can give Spira something cheerful to talk about," she said slowly, "then I will do so."  
"It is nothing but an extravagant play," Auron said. "Even though we get this brief intermission, the next act always starts, and the play goes on."  
"Yunie," Rikku said in a small voice, "If you marry Maester Seymour. You could give up your pilgrimage."  
Auron laughed rudely. "That's not an option," he said.  
Yuna looked at Rikku and the rest of the group afterwards. "I love you all, but this is my decision. I shall give the Maester my answer in Macalania."  
Tidus looked away in disgust. Seymour and Yuna. He couldn't bear the though of losing her.  
Wait.  
Had Tidus gone and broken a rule somewhere? The feelings he felt, or thought he felt; were they natural between a Summoner and Guardian?  
"Macalania is just ahead," Auron's voice said, breaking into Tidus' thoughts. "We should get moving."  
The trudged on, and Tidus felt as though the day couldn't possibly get worse.  
He was very, very wrong. 


	20. Chapter 20

~Chapter 20~  
  
The group continued on through the thunder plains until they reached the outskirts of the Macalania Woods. The woods gave off a surreal look, almost as though there was a mystical presence in the wood of the trees. The group was starting to continue forward when Auron suddenly said, "Hey, Tidus-hang back a second."  
Tidus turned to face his mentor. "What's up?" he asked.  
"Stay close to Yuna," he said in a serious, almost grim voice. Tidus looked quizzically at him.  
"Why is she marrying Seymour, anyway?' Tidus suddenly blurted out. Auron looked at him, then back to Yuna. "You're falling for her, aren't you," he said in a strangely understanding voice.  
"No," Tidus said shiftily. Auron frowned at him.  
"I think the reason is," Auron said, "in exchange for marriage, she hopes to. negotiate with Seymour. Whatever she's planning, she doesn't want us involved. She's trying to protect us. But from what, I cannot imagine. It's obviously got something to do with the sphere she spoke of earlier."  
"How do you know?" Tidus asked. Auron chuckled.  
"Yuna's easy to read," he said, "but guarding her is a whole other story. Stay by her." Tidus nodded in agreement as Auron walked away.  
  
The group continued through the forest, but the fiends seemed to be particularly nasty through this area. Auron beheaded several with a mighty swing of his sword, Wakka stunned a few fliers, and Tidus and Kimarhi took out tougher enemies, such as a three headed creature that could use magic. Needless to say, the Summoner party was put through quite a few paces that day. After the last fiend, Lulu started casting fire spells into the distance ahead to not only illuminate the path, but to catch fiends off guard instead of the other way around.  
About halfway through the woods, the group heard someone crying out, "DONA! WHERE ARE YOU? DONAAAA!"  
To the group's surprise, Barthellow came bursting through the low hedges, panting in exhaustion. Upon seeing the Summoner party before him, he stopped and asked in exasperation, "Have you seen Dona anywhere? We got separated."  
"Nope. Sorry, brudda," Wakka said.  
"Damn it all," Barthellow said. "I can't find her!"  
"Running around hysterically won't solve anything," Auron said, and he instantly had Barthellow's rapt attention. "First, guard your emotions, then your Summoner."  
"I see," Barthellow said, calming down slightly. "Thank you, Sir Are- in."  
"Shall we search?" Auron asked, indicating the Summoner party, who murmured their agreement; as much as they disliked her, no one wanted to see her harmed or even dead.  
"No, no, I've wasted enough of your time," Barthellow said. "Nonsense," Yuna replied. "Are you sure you won't need help?"  
"Yes, my lady," he said. "I'll try retracing my steps."  
With that, Barthellow turned and headed off down another path. Rikku came forward suddenly. "What's up?" Wakka asked.  
"Nothing," Rikku said, a little too quickly. "I just wanted to wish him good luck, that's all."  
"Let's continue," Auron said. "The temple is not far."  
  
Somehow, the temperature started to drop, and the woods slowly started to have snow on their branches. Along the way, Auron stopped, looking at a large, fallen tree in a reminiscent way.  
"What is it?" Tidus asked.  
"It's here," Auron said. He turned to Tidus and freed his left arm. "There's something here I need to show you."  
"What is it?" Tidus asked, but Auron had already started hacking away at the tree with his sword. In a few minutes, the tree had fallen, opening up a new path, which he followed into a new area of the woods. The others followed him into this area, and found it to be a small pond. Auron was crouching down at the edge, staring into the water. He seemed to be looking for something.  
"This pond," he said suddenly, "is what spheres are made out of. It can trap and contain memories, and when coupled with a few machina that Yevon approves of, the spheres can be used to record and play back images." Suddenly, his face brightened, and he stuck his hand into the water. He pulled out a very old looking sphere, and held it in front of Tidus.  
"This is for you," he said. Tidus took it, and looked it over. "What is it?" he asked.  
"It was Jecht's," Auron said. "He wanted me to give it to you."  
Tidus looked at the sphere before him. He apprehensively pushed the 'playback' button and watched as the old thing flickered to life. It showed an image of a grand city, and two men walking away from it. One was wrapped in brilliantly colored robes and wore a monk-like hood. It was none other than Braska. The other had a pert face, and wore a red trench coat, except he wasn't wearing the left sleeve; he let that half of the coat hang at his side. It was Auron, ten years younger.  
"Jecht, this isn't a pleasure cruise," Auron's younger, slightly higher voice said to the "lens". Jecht's voice chuckled.  
"What, I want to record this journey. You know, so I can show it to my kid and wife when I get home."  
"To Chicago?" Auron asked. He sounded doubtful.  
"Yeah," Jecht said. The image turned so that the Summoner party was now seeing Braska's back. "Hey, Braska!" Jecht said. "You should get one of these, too! I'm sure little Yuna would love it!"  
"Indeed," Braska agreed. The image faded.  
"So?" Tidus asked.  
"There's more," Auron assured. Indeed, the sphere flickered back to life, showing only Jecht this time, sitting in front of the same pond they now stood at. He looked solemnly into the sphere, and said, "Hey, Zach."  
Tidus watched on, staying silent. The others were slowly looking from the sphere to Tidus and back again.  
"Look. If you're seeing this, it means you're stuck in Spira now, too. I know I haven't always been there for you, but. I, uh."  
Jecht faltered. He looked away for a moment, and looked back at the sphere.  
"I really miss you. And your mother, too. But, if you do find this thing, and I'm not there, I just want to say that I. uh."  
"Jecht! It's time to go!" Auron's voice called off-screen. Jecht shook his head.  
"Never mind, I'm no good at this," he muttered, and Tidus actually heard him sniffle slightly. Had Jecht been crying?  
The image faded and the sphere shut off. Tidus looked at Auron. "So what? He couldn't even say it on a sphere."  
They al knew what "it" was; Jecht hadn't been able to say he loved Tidus. Auron looked away.  
"He wanted you to have that." He turned to the others. "Go on ahead," he said. "Tidus and I will catch up."  
The others left the clearing, leaving Auron and Tidus alone. Auron looked at him.  
"When he recorded that segment," Auron said, "he began to accept the fact that he wasn't going back to Chicago. That was one of ten spheres he bought when we left Bevelle. he gave one to Braska and one to me. Braska left his will and good-bye to Yuna on his. I recorded my last night in Bevelle, saying good-bye to Kinoc." Auron looked away. "Jecht truly loved you," he said. "He just couldn't find the words." With that, Auron left the clearing, and after a bit, Tidus followed.  
  
The group left the woods and was suddenly slammed with cold air. Their feet met snow instead of dirt and leaves. They had reached the northern part of Macalania, and were mere feet away from the frozen Lake Macalania. The group shivered in the cold-having come from Besaid, most of them were wearing short sleeves and shorts. Again, they spotted an Inn owned by Rin, and they raced to get inside.  
Inside, they all sat and let the heat wash over them. Wakka was talking things over with the desk clerk, who luckily spoke English, about buying warm clothes. In the end, he managed to get seven heavy parkas for an extremely low price; Tidus suspected Rin had told all of his agencies to give them a discount.  
Rin himself was not here at this agency; it was being run by an Al Bhed man whom Rikku identified as Clyde. The group stayed inside until Auron told them it was time tog, so they bundled up and trouped back outside, surprised at how well the parkas kept them warm. They started to go down a small hill that led to the surface of the frozen lake itself. Tidus, looking at the lake in apprehension, leaned over and whispered to Auron, "It's safe to walk on. Isn't it?"  
Auron nodded. "It's been frozen since before anyone can remember," he said. "Jecht, Braska, and I were apprehensive as well. But I can assure you it is very solid, although slippery."  
"Ah, Summoner Yuna!" called a voice, and none other than Tromell Guado came walking up the hill to meet them. Bowing, he said, "Maester Seymour sends his apologies for not being in Guadosalam. He wishes for you to join him at the temple."  
Tromell held out his hand, and said, "Yuna. If you will come with me." Turning to the Guardians, he said, "Someone will be along to collect you shortly."  
"We don't get to come?" Auron asked, frowning.  
"We must follow tradition, you know," Tromell said, with an air of annoyance. "It is all right," Yuna said to the group. "I will be fine."  
"Come this way, my lady," Tromell said, leading her down the hill. Tidus suddenly raced forward, saying, "Hey, Yuna! Wait up!"  
He stopped next to her, and looking her in the face, he said, "Look. After we defeat Sin. Let's go to Chicago."  
She looked at him blankly. "We'll all go," he said. "Wakka and Lulu and Kimarhi. everyone. So, let's get Sin, and we'll all go to my Chicago. and to your Zanarkand."  
"That sounds nice," Yuna said quietly. Tromell said, "Please, my lady. We mustn't keep the Maester waiting."  
The two of them went down the hill, and Tidus found that Auron was standing next to him. "What was that all about?" he asked.  
"I don't know," Tidus said, looking at his mentor. "I just felt like I had to say it."  
"Hmm," Auron said. Tidus looked at him.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Nothing," Auron responded. Tidus frowned.  
"Don't give me that," he said. Auron chuckled.  
Suddenly, they heard Wakka yelling, "Al Bhed! Everyone, quick! Down on the ice!"  
Tidus and Auron turned to look down at the frozen lake and saw that there were several Al Bhed men riding on what looked like snowmobiles, circling Yuna and Tromell on the ice. One of them was standing on the opposite side of the lake, cheering them on. "Come!" Auron yelled, and he bolted down the hill onto the ice. The Guardians followed, and soon, Auron had knocked the snowmobile-men off of their rides with a few mighty swings of his sword as the rest of the Guardians formed a ring around Yuna.  
"Thank you," Tromell said fervently, and he tried to lead Yuna away from the scene of Chaos that was quickly arising. She, however, broke away from Tromell's grip and stood next to her Guardians, Tidus in particular. The man on the other side of the lake suddenly spoke, and Tidus was surprised; it was Rikku's brother.  
"Rikku!" he yelled. "Hedda fo ti gwo!"  
"Faid!" Rikku cried back at him. Her brother laughed, and yelled over his shoulder. A huge machina on wheels suddenly came over the hill and stopped next to him. He turned back to Rikku.  
"Sava ni togo weeba," he said, "I seva de ho qui, Rikku."  
Rikku shook her head. "Ku sova?" She yelled back.  
"Fer Aeons geg magic sef essle!" he yelled back. "Uh-oh," Rikku said. "What'd he say?" Tidus yelled.  
"He said that machina would block out magic and Aeons!" she cried at Yuna.  
"Well then," Auron said, stepping forward. He had already hoisted his sword over his shoulder. "We'll just have to take care of it the old- fashioned way." 


End file.
